A terrorist allegedly planning a suicide attack was killed in Srinagar on Thursday night. This comes amid a spike in violence & heightened counter-insurgency operations in the region. In a tweet quoting IGP (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar, J&K police identified the terrorist as Amir Riyaz. It added he was a relative of an accused in 2019 Pulwama attack that left 40 CRPF jawans dead. Police added that Riyaz was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Mujahideen Gazwatul Hind. Riyaz was gunned down in an exchange of fire with security forces in Srinagar’s Bemina area. Police further informed that an AK 47 rifle was recovered from the gunbattle scene. A high alert was sounded in Srinagar after a spate of targeted attacks on civilians last month. A police constable & a salesman were killed last week in separate attacks. In Kulgam, two terrorists - Shiraz Molvi & Yawar Bhat - were killed in encounter on Thursday. Police said Molvi was active since 2016 & was involved in recruiting terrorists. Encounter in Kulgam's Chawalgam broke out after security forces launched a search operation.
