'On road to being militancy-free: Ultras wiped out before setting base in Srinagar'

Jammu and Kashmir police said on Friday that militants are being killed before they can set up their base in Srinagar city.

Vijay Kumar, IGP (Kashmir) spoke to media on the sidelines of a wreath laying function to honour the CRPF trooper killed during an encounter in Malabagh area of Srinagar city Friday.

Kumar said that in the day's encounter in Srinagar, police and CRPF killed one commander for Anantnag district, Zahid Das.

The IGP said he along with four other militants was involved in a series of attacks on police and CRPF including the one at Bijbehera recently in which a minor boy was killed.

"Zahid's two other associates were recently killed in Bijbehara and two more militants of his group are on the run and they will be killed soon," he added.

He said of the 12 top commanders of Hizbul Mujahiddin, Jaish e Mohammad and Lashkar e Taiba who are on police radar five are from Hizb, three from LeT and four from JeM.

"We have already announced their names and they are being tracked down," Kumar said.

Commenting on recent encounters in capital Srinagar city which was believed to be free of militants, the IGP said, "Srinagar can never be militancy free as long as militancy is there. Militants keep on coming to the city for many purposes.

"At times they come for medical treatment, meeting with each other and sometimes to receive funds.

"Our proactive action helps us to track them down on time.

"There have been no militant attacks in Srinagar. All the three incidents were the outcome of proactive action of police and the CRPF where leads were developed and militants hiding in city were tracked down and killed.

"Yesterday (on Thursday), also a lead was developed and when the suspected spot was zeroed in, the militant fired indiscriminately in which one CRPF was hit who later succumbed," the IGP said

"If there is no encounter in any district that doesn't mean the area or the district is militancy free. Militants are being killed before they can establish their base in Srinagar," he added..