Four suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Union Interior Minister Amit Shah, national security adviser Ajit Doval and others on Friday after an investigation indicated that a group of terrorists, killed in Jammu and Kashmir a day earlier They were planning “something big” before local elections in the union territory.
“Our security forces have once again displayed the utmost courage and professionalism. Thanks to their alertness, they have defeated a nefarious plot to attack grassroots democratic exercises in Jammu and Kashmir,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
The neutralization of 4 terrorists belonging to the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed and the presence of a large cache of weapons and explosives with them indicates that their efforts to wreak great havoc and destruction have again been thwarted.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2020
The foreign secretary and senior intelligence officials also attended the meeting. Sources said that the investigation so far has indicated that the terrorists were planning an attack on the anniversary of the 11/26 attacks in Mumbai.
The four suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, who were hiding in a truck, were killed in a three-hour encounter with security forces on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Nagrota early Thursday morning.
Two policemen were injured during the shooting and the driver managed to escape. Police said the terrorists were likely “planning a major attack” and were heading towards the Kashmir valley, where local elections will be held later this month.
The encounter began around 5 a.m. after the truck in which the terrorists were traveling was intercepted by security forces personnel near the Ban toll plaza in Nagrota, outside the city of Jammu, on the highway during a routine check, authorities said.
Forced security had received inputs on the movement of terrorists from the Samba sector to the Nagrota toll plaza.
A large number of weapons were recovered, including 11 AK-47 rifles, three pistols and 29 grenades.
In the first elections since it was split into two union territories and its decades-old special status revoked last August, Jammu and Kashmir will hold eight-phase District Development Council (DDC) elections on November 28. and on December 19, and the votes will be counted on December 22.
The outlook for the elections has been clouded by allegations that candidates not affiliated with the BJP have been illegally detained for security reasons and not allowed to campaign, although the lieutenant governor has said he will address the complaints.
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