Yousuf Kantroo, top LeT (militant) commander, killed in an encounter in Baramulla

On Thursday, four soldiers and a police officer were injured in an encounter with militants in the Baramulla district. In a gunfight in the Malwah area, two militants were killed, including the commander of the LeT outfit and the longest-surviving militant, Mohammad Yousuf Kantroo.

According to a police officer, all of the injured had been taken to the hospital, including four troops and constable Basharat Ahmad.

"Yousuf Kantroo, a top LeT (militant) commander, was killed in a battle in Baramulla. In a tweet, IGP Kashmir said, "He was involved in multiple killings of civilians and SF personnel, including the recent killings of JKP's SPO and his brother, one soldier, and one civilian in Budgam district." "It was a huge win for us," he added.

Yousuf Kantroo, the slain militant, was a resident of Check Kawosa hamlet in Budgam, Central Kashmir. IGP Kashmir said Kantroo has been linked to militancy since 2000, and has been recycled twice in the last two decades. Since 2017, he has been active.

The encounter started after a joint team of police and army started a cordon-and-search operation in the Malwah area of the district of north Kashmir regarding the presence of the militants in the area after receiving information from the Budgam police department last night.

According to authorities, three soldiers and civilians were injured during the initial phase of the encounter. The operation ended with the killing of two militants, police said.