J&K: Top LeT terrorist Naveed Jatt, wanted for assassination of Shujaat Bukhari, killed in Budgam encounter

Top Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Naveed Jatt, wanted for the assassination of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari, was shot down in a joint operation of security forces and local police on Wednesday.

SRINAGAR: Top Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Mohammad Naveed Jatt, wanted for the assassination of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari, was shot down in a joint operation of security forces and local police on Wednesday.

Authorities are yet to confirm this fact.

An exchange of fire broke out between terrorists and security forces in Chathergam village of Jammu and Kashmir`s Budgam district in the wee hours of Wednesday.  According to the latest report, some terrorists are still hiding in a house in the area. Combing operations are on.

Jatt, who fled from police custody earlier this year, was involved in several cases of attack on the security forces and civilians in Kashmir. He was spotted at the funeral of a terrorist in Shopian in August this year.

A resident of Multan in Pakistan, Jatt was arrested in June 2014 at Yaripora in Kulgam. On February 6, he pulled off a dramatic escape from Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in Srinagar after his associates shot dead two policemen who were accompanying him for medical checkup.

"This week was great, those involved in killing of innocent people in Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian belt were neutralized. As per ground verification, top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Naveed Jatt was one of the two terrorists killed today," said state DGP Dilbagh Singh.

Last week, another Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist accused of assassinating senior Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari - Azad Ahmad Malik - was shot down in Anantnag encounter. Malik was one of the six terrorists killed in the encounter that broke out between terrorists and security forces in Sekipora area of Bijbhera in South Kashmir's Anantnag district in the wee hours of Friday. Indian Army`s 3 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and state police jointly conducted the operation. The other five terrorists neutralised in the encounter were identified as Unais Shafi, Shahid Bashir, Basit Ishtiyaq, Aqib Najar and Firdous Najar. 

Bukhari, the editor-in-chief of local daily Rising Kashmir, was killed on June 14 by three men outside his office at press enclave in Srinagar. Two of his personal security officers were also killed in the attack. 

Hours after the sensational killing, police had released CCTV grabs of the three attackers, who were riding a motorcycle. While one of the attackers was wearing a helmet, the other had worn a mask.

State police later released the names and pictures of four people – Malik, Muzaffar Ahmad, Naveed Jutt and Sajad Gul – as the accused in the Bukhari's assassination. 

Malik, Ahmad and Jutt were identified as LeT terrorists while gunman Sajad Gul was a Kashmiri based in Pakistan.