Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 11: Security forces have identified three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, who, they believed, abducted and killed an Army officer in Kulgam district of South Kashmir yesterday.
Sources said that the security forces have launched massive operations against the killers of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz, the young Army officer found dead in Shopian Kashmir after he was kidnapped from a family wedding.
They said at least 5 militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were involved in his kidnapping and killing. Three of them have been identified as Abbas Bhat of Materbugh, Gayasul Islam of Chekchalun and Ashfaq Ahmad Thokar of Paderpora.
They said that this group has been involved in various militancy related incidents in the area including attack on a cavalcade of senior officers including SSP, DySP and SHO at Kumdalan village Shopian on May 9 in which they escaped unhurt.
These militants are also believed to be involved in an attack on Army party at Imam Saheb area of Shopian on May 4 in which a civilian driver who was driving the Army vehicle and two Army men were injured.
Sources said that the Army officer was killed with a rifle that was looted from a policeman in a recent attack on a court complex in Shopian as the empty cartridges of an INSAS rifle were found near his body.
And in the evening, a group of three militants managed to escape after residents pelted stones on them at Khudwani in Kulgam district.
Sources said that security forces cordoned off village Khudwani after a tip off about presence of militants in the village. As the security forces cordoned off the village, the residents came out in large numbers and pelted stones at them.
Police and CRPF fired tear smoke to disperse the protesters and dingdong battles continued for several hours but the operation was later called off.
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