FIVE KILLED IN TWO SEPARATE ENCOUNTERS IN SOUTH KASHMIR
While three militants of Al-Badr outfit were killed in Shopian, two others, allegedly owing allegiance to LeT, were killed in Anantnag
Five terrorists were killed in two separate encounters overnight in south Kashmir including a 14-year-old boy — who, according to his family, had gone missing last week — security officials said on Sunday.
While three terrorists of Al-Badr outfit were killed in Shopian district, another two from the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in Anantnag district.
The boy and two other terrorists were trapped on Saturday evening and were killed in an overnight encounter with a joint party of police, army and CRPF in the orchards of Reban Bandpawa area of Shopian. The gunfight in Anantnag erupted on Saturday evening after security forces got information about presence of terrorists in a residential house, officials said.
Security forces on Sunday said they killed five militants in two different overnight encounters in south Kashmir. One of those gunned down was a teenager, who, according to his family, was 14 years old and had gone missing last week.
While three militants of Al-Badr outfit were killed in Shopian district, two others, allegedly owing allegiance to Lashkar-e-Taiba, were killed in Anantnag district.
The boy and two other militants, including Aasif Ahmad Ganai, were trapped in the orchards of Reban Bandpawa area of Shopian on Saturday evening by a joint team of the police, army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
“Police and security forces made sincere efforts to get the newly recruited militant to surrender. His parents also made several appeals but the other militants didn’t let him surrender,” said Kashmir inspector general of police (IGP), Vijay Kumar.
A relative of the boy said he had called home on Saturday, informing the family that he was trapped in the orchards of Shopian in an encounter with the forces. A police spokesman said the trio was part of groups involved in many “terror crime cases” and linked with proscribed outfit Al-Badr.
He said that on Saturday evening, the forces received information about the presence of militants and surrounded the area. “The militants were given an opportunity to surrender; however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party. In the initial retaliatory firing, one militant was killed, but the operation was suspended to give the trapped militants another chance to surrender. The joint teams exercised maximum restraint and facilitated the presence of family members of a holed-up militant to the encounter site so as to persuade him to surrender,” he said.
An AK-56 rifle, two pistols and other ‘incriminating’ materials were recovered from the site of encounter, police said.
IGP Kumar said, “I make a fervent appeal to all misguided youth who have joined terror ranks to shun the path of violence and return to the mainstream as the society, and most importantly their parents, need them.”
Anantnag encounter
The Anantnag gunfight erupted on Saturday evening after security forces got information about the presence of militants at a house at Semthan village of Bijbehara.
Officials said the militants were given an opportunity to surrender; however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party of police, army and CRPF, which retaliated in equal measure. They said the joint teams of security forces also “rescued all the civilians trapped in the gunfire and halted the operation for the night”.
The operation was resumed in the morning which led to the killing of two militants.
“Two militants, who were responsible for the killing of Havaldar Mohd Saleem Akhoon of Territorial Army on Friday, were eliminated,” said the public relations officer of Army’s 15 Corps Lt Col Emron Musavi.
The slain militants were identified as Towseef Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Takia Maqbool Shah Bijbehara and Aamir Hussain Ganie, a resident of Goriwan Bijbehara, Anantnag. They were linked with the proscribed outfit LeT.
Police said Towseef was active since 2017 and Aamir had joined terrorist ranks in the year 2018. Both were wanted in many terror crimes, including the killing of an off-duty Territorial Army soldier Mohammad Saleem Akhoon, who was gunned down near his house in Goriwan Bijbehara on Friday.
“They were also wanted by law in the case regarding an attack on CRPF party in which one CRPF jawan was killed. They were also involved in threatening and intimidating the civilian population of the area and enticing young boys to join the terror ranks,” the police spokesman said.
Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition, including two AK series rifles, were recovered from the site of the encounter.
The last rites of all the slain militants will be performed after conducting medico-legal formalities at Handwara and their nearest family members shall be allowed to participate in the last rites.
In the past three days, 12 militants have been killed across south Kashmir. On Friday, seven militants were killed in two separate encounters in South Kashmir.
In one of the encounters, the chief of Ansar ul Gazhawat ul Hind was killed.