Srinagar, March 30 : The security forces shot dead two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in a midnight encounter in Srinagar, officials said on Wednesday. One of the slain, Rayees Ahmad Bhat, was a former journalist who had joined the militant organisation in August last year, police said. They said that an encounter broke out at Rainawari area of old Srinagar when forces launched an anti-militancy operation following an input about militant presence. “The hiding terrorists opened fire triggering an encounter. In the gun battle two terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed,” a police officer said. Police identified the two slain militants as Rayees Ahmad Bhat and Hilal Ahmad Rah, resident of Bijbehara in Anantnag. Rayees was running an online news portal ‘Valley News Service’ in Anantnag, they said. “..Joined terrorist ranks in 8/2021 & was categorised ‘C’ in our list. 2 FIRs are already registered against him for terror crimes,” police said in a tweet. Security forces have shot dead 13 militants in nine gunfights in Kashmir this month. MJR RNJ
