According to Jammu and Kashmir police, Fayaz Panzoo was killed along with his aide in the gunfight.
“Panzoo was involved in an attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Anantnag town on 12 June 2019 in which five CRPF personnel were killed and Station House Officer Arshad Khan was left seriously injured and later succumbed to the injuries,” a police spokesperson said.
Jaish commander #Fayaz Panzoo# eleminated along with one more terrorist #Shan Showkat Bhat# in an encounter at Katoo Bijbehara.@JmuKmrPolice @KashmirPolice
— Anantnag Police (@AnantnagPolice) July 30, 2019
Earlier, a joint team of army, police, and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation following a tip off that terrorists were at large in the Kutto area.
On 12 June, a group of terrorists targeted a military post on K P Road, which is close to the General Bus Stand in the Anantnag district of South Kashmir. The attack was a first major strike since the mid-February Pulwama terror attack, which left 40 security personnel dead.
On 27 July, Munna Lahori, the Pakistan-based terrorist group's leader in south Kashmir, was shot dead along with a local associate in the Kashmir Valley’s Bona Bazar area.
The security situation in Kashmir saw an improvement in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2018.
"Net infiltration has reduced by 43% and local recruitment has declined by 40%. Terrorist initiated incidents have declined by 28%," India's Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said on 24 July.
