J&K: Among 3 terrorists killed in encounter was a minor 14 YO boy

Srinagar: The 18-hour long encounter operation carried out on Srinagar’s outskirts at Mujgund this Sunday ended in injuring four security men, three civilians along with killing of three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.

The three terrorists killed in the joint operation carried out by Special Operations Group (SOG), CRPF, and Army are identified as minor Mudasir Rashid Parray (14), Saqib Mushtaq and Ali Bhai, a Pakistani national.

An Army jawan, two cops and a CRPF man were among the injured security forces and were rushed to a hospital.

The joint team of security forces launched a search and cordon operation on Saturday on the house where the three were hiding which led to their killing.

Minor Mudasir was a class 9 student who had reportedly went missing from his house with his school senior Bilal Ahmad a student of Class 11 on August 29.

Little did Mudasir’s parents knew he would go on to join terrorist group. His mother Fareeda Begum said Mudasir had told them that he was going to school but did not return that day.

When Mudasir did not return, his family filed a missing report in a police station and began a search for him, but could not trace him for months until recently in November when his picture of holding a AK-47 went viral on social media.

As soon as his family learned about Mudasir joining militants she took to social media to appeal to her son to “shun the path of terrorism and come back home”.

She also requested the terror outfits to let her son go and ensure his safe return as his father was “an ailing man”, and there was no one to look after the family except him. Mudasir has two siblings, a sister and a hearing-impaired brother.

The 14 year-old Mudasir had no criminal record as such except a few stone pelting charges against him like other youngsters, said the Police.

ADGP law & order Munir Khan said, “On Saturday, forces tried to persuade the terrorists to come out and surrender but instead they fired on the forces, triggering an encounter.”

This encounter news soon spread across the region leading to protests in Haijin with people pelting stones at the security forces.

The authorities in the region have suspended internet services as a precautionary measure.