Two militants shot dead in Kashmir, aide of Geelani held

NIA HAS DETAINED DEVINDER SINGH BEHAL,A LAWYER LINKED GEELANI, ON SUSPICION OF ROUTING TERROR FUNDS

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday, while a top activist associated with hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was detained in Jammu.

The Pulwama encounter started after police and army launched a cordon and search operation in Tahab area of Pulwama around 5 am, police control room Pulwama said.

The militants, identified as Shariq Ahmad Sheikh of Pulwama and Shabir Ahmad Mir of Anantnag, were asked to surrender after a cordon-and-search operation. “They tried to shoot their way out but were killed in retaliatory firing,” an army official said. “An INSAS and an SLR rifle were recovered from them.”

Meanwhile Hizbul Mujahideen(HM) commander Riyaz Naikoo on Sunday sought to distance the Kashmir militancy from Al Qaeda and the IS.

Appearing at the funeral of Sheikh in Takuna village, Naikoo reportedly said “efforts are being made to defame the Kashmir freedom struggle... Linking our struggle with Al Qaeda and ISIS is a ploy to defame it,” Naikoo was quoted by a local daily.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency detained Devinder Singh Behal, chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Social Peace Forum, which is a constituent of the Geelani faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

Behal is a member of the legal cell of the Hurriyat. NIA is investigating into his role in routing funds to separatist leaders from Pakistan-based handlers. ››P9