IN A major blow to terror infrastructure and terror sympathisers in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, security forces have eliminated key launch commander Bashir Ahmad Malik in an anti-infiltration operation in the Uri sector, the Army said on Thursday. Malik and another terrorist were killed on Wednesday in a joint operation, codenamed Op Kali, by the army and Jammu and Kashmir Police along the Line of Control.

 

“The salient aspect of this operation is the neutralisation of Bashir Ahmed Malik, one of the two terrorists killed. He was an important cog in the Pakistan-enabled cross-border terrorism Jammu and Kashmir. He was an important terrorist launch commander for terror tanzeems (organisations) from Leepa in the North to the areas in PoJ&K, opposite Rajouri in the South,” an Army official said. The official said Malik, who was active for the past 30 years, had enabled infiltration of a number of terrorists who caused the death of many Indian citizens, both security forces personnel as well as civilians.