Two IAF commandos die in J&K encounter
SRINAGAR: For the first time in Kashmir’ s nearly three-decadeslong insurgency, two Indian Air Force (IAF) commandos were killed in a fierce gunfight with militants in the region’s Bandipora district on Wednesday.
Air force personnel have been attacked and killed by insurgents in the troubled region but they were not participating in ground combat.
“They were training with the army for operational experience,” army spokesman Rajesh K alias aid, referring to Wednesday’ s shoot out in which two militants were also killed. The IAF commandos belonged to its elite special forces unit, Garud.
The gunbattle started early morning after a joint patrol of the army, police and Garud com mandos cordoned off an area in Bandip ora’ s Haj in following a tip-off that militants were hiding there.
The deaths occurred in the ensuing intense fighting. Sergeant K. Milind Kishor, 33, had joined the IAF in 2002. He was from Maharashtra. Hailing from Bihar, Corporal Nilesh Kumar Nay an ,31, joined the force in 2005.
In 1990, at least four air force officers were killed in an ambush by militants in Sannat Nagar of Srinagar, but they were not participating in any operation.
The government has been pursuing a tough line against militants in Kashmir since a surge in insurgent violence as well as street protests that have killed about 100 people over the past year.
Security forces have struck back, tracking and killing a number of militant commanders of Hizbul Muja hide en and Las h kare-Taibaf or the past few months.
Garud commandos are trained to guard air force bases as well as fight insurgents and participate in search and rescue operations.
The need for a special is ed team of air force commandos was felt when militants tried to attack two airbases in Jam mu and Kashmir in 2001.
Garud commandos led the operation against militants who targeted the Pathankotair base in January 2016.