SRINAGAR: Security forces have identified the body of Uzair Khan, a top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba shadow group The Resistance Force, who was killed in the forests near Gadool village of Kokernag in north Kashmir’s Anantnag district during a week-long search-and-shoot operation.

He was among two to three terrorists responsible for the initial gunfight in which two Army officers and a J-K police DSP were killed on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.“The body of another terrorist is visible, but it has not been possible to retrieve it yet.

We had information about the presence of two to three terrorists in the area,” Kashmir zone ADG Vijay Kumar said on Tuesday.Kumar also revealed that the counter-terrorism operation in the forested, hilly terrain was over, but security forces would continue to conduct a mop-up drive.Anantnag Encounter: Indian Army Takes Revenge, Punishes Terrorists in Front of Pakistan ArmyAnantnag op was one of the longest in J-KWhile the search is ongoing, locals have been urged to avoid approaching the site due to the potential danger of unexploded grenades or shells, he said.The security forces had employed advanced equipment and weapons, including Heron and Hexacopter drones, quadcopters, and drone-fitted guns, in their efforts to eliminate the terrorists who were said to be positioned in strategically in mountain caves and other natural hideouts.

The forces fired mortar shells toward positions from where the terrorists had been shooting.Lashkar commander Uzair Khan killed, Body of LeT commander recovered in Anantnag: ADGP Vijay KumarOn Monday, the body of Sepoy Pardeep Singh of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, the third soldier from the Army unit killed in action in Anantnag, was found in the forests.

The 27-year-old’s remains were sent to his hometown in Punjab’s Patiala for the last rites with full military honours.“Three officers, two from Army and one from police, besides a soldier were killed in the encounter,” said ADG Kumar.

However, it has been reported Saturday that a wounded soldier had died in hospital on Friday.The 28-year-old Uzair came from a broken family, having lost his mother at a young age after his father Bashir Khan divorced her.

The senior Khan works in the Jal Shakti department and had expelled Uzair from their home on the instructions of his step-mother, forcing the young man to put up with relatives and friends, according to locals.Uzair had gone missing in July last year from Nogam village in Kokernag, which is not far from Gadool, after telling relatives that he had some work in Sonmarg.

He was an electrician by profession after giving up studies two years ago.Anantnag encounter: Bodies of Col Manpreet, Major Ashish airlifted to army base hospital in SrinagarHis profile fits the description of “hybrid terrorist”, a term used to describe people who execute acts of terrorism and then seamlessly blend back into their regular routines without leaving any discernible trace.The Anantnag operation stands out as one of the lengthiest in Kashmir.

In terms of casualties, it was a substantial setback for the security forces, marking the most severe since a shootout on August 5 this year in the forests of Halan Manzgam in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, where three soldiers of 34 RR were killed.

On March 30, 2020, an 18-hour shootout in north Kashmir’s Handwara resulted in the deaths of five security personnel, including a Colonel, a Major, and a police sub-inspector.Anantnag encounter: In the hometown of heroes, Poignant moments of grief in familiesWatchAnantnag encounter: Operation enters into 7th day as search operation continues in Kokernag