Separatist’s son killed in firing
26-yr-old Junaid had done MBA, he joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2018
Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants, one of them serving as the outfit’s ‘divisional commander,’ were killed in a 10-hour-long gunfight with security forces in Srinagar on Tuesday. Five security personnel were injured, one of them critically, in the clash. Though several parts of the Valley, particularly southern districts, have witnessed encounters routinely, it was the first such clash in Srinagar. The last time the city witnessed a fire fight between security forces and militants was in October 2018.
Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants, one of them serving as the outfit’s ‘divisional commander,’ were killed in a 10-hourlong gunfight with security forces in Srinagar on Tuesday. Five security personnel were injured, one of them critically, in the clash.
Though several parts of the Valley, particularly southern districts, have witnessed encounters routinely, it was the first such clash in Srinagar.
Last time the city witnessed a fire fight between security forces and militants was in October 2018 in which top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander Merajuddin Bangroo was killed along with his close associate Faiz Ahmed Waza and the owner of the house in which the militant duo was hiding in the city’s Fateh Kadal area.
Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh, termed it as a major success of the security forces and confirmed that among the slain is Junaid Ashraf Khan, son of prominent separatist leader and amir of Tehrik-e-Hurriyat party Muhammd Ashraf Sehrai who is a close confidante of Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The other militant killed in Srinagar’s densely populated Dana Mazaar, Nawa Kadal locality has been identified as Tariq Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of southern
Pulwama district.
Junaid went missing on March 23, 2018 after he left his Srinagar home to offer Friday prayers at a nearby mosque. Next day, the family reported the matter to the police but soon a photograph showing 26-year-old Junaid who had done MBA from University of Kashmir holding an AK 47 assault rifle went viral. The message posted with it said that Junaid had joined Hizbul Mujahideen.
The fighting which broke out overnight after the security forces laid siege to Dana Mazaar on receiving intelligence input about the presence of the militant duo in a private house left the residential house which was being used as a hideout by militant duo destroyed and a few more damaged.
Soon after the fighting ended, people in large numbers took to the streets to protest. The police used force to disperse them, which led to clashes between stone-pelting mobs and security forces in the neighbourhood, the witnesses said.
Some of the residents alleged that the security forces looted gold ornaments and other valuables from their home after they had fled to safety.
The authorities strongly denied it and said that the security forces, in fact, evacuated several families to safety to avoid harm coming to them.
“It being a congested area, the J&K police together with the CRPF before launching the operation to flush out terrorists, evacuated people living in the nearby houses to safe locations,” said a police officer.
A resident said that the security forces arrived in the areas at around 2 am. Shortly after the area was brought under siege, internet were snapped in Srinagar.