Three terrorists killed in encounter in Pulwama

In Jammu & Kashmir, three terrorists have been killed in an encounter in Pulwama district today. One of them is identified as Commander Usman Hyder of Jaish e Muhammad outfit. He is nephew of Jaish Chief Moulana Masood Azhar. Hyder is the son of Azhar's elder brother Ameer Mukhtar. Another also belongs to the same terrorist outfit and the third is a local. 

Security sources said,  one damaged M4 Rifle fitted with telescope (the same carried by Usman Hyder in one of his file pictures) was recovered from the encounter site. In recent days, three security personnel were killed during Jaish's sniper attacks in Tral and



Srinagar. The M4 Rifle is US made normally used by NATO forces in Afghanistan. 

Sources said, the residential house where three terrorists were hiding caught fire in cross firing and was fully consigned to flames. A joint security forces team of Army, J&K Police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the Midoora area on a specific information about the presence of terrorists. 

They said that the joint team of forces zeroed in on the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired upon the forces triggering an encounter.