LeT div comdr, 4 JeM militants killed

Major success for security forces

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Nov 30: Divisional commander, North Kashmir of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was among five militants killed in two separate encounters in Kashmir today while two Army personnel were injured.

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Acting on specific information, Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police along with 10 Gadwal of Army and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Fotlipora area of Pakherpora in Central Kashmir district of Budgam early today.
As the search parties zeroed in near a house, security forces found that 20 civilians were also in the house, where militants were hiding. The civilians were rescued first and militants asked to surrender. The hiding militants opened fire which was retaliated by security forces, triggering an encounter.
The house had 28 rooms and encounter continued for four hours. Two cows also died during the encounter. A Scorpio parked near the encounter site and which belonged to the house-owner was also gutted in the encounter.
Four militants of JeM including  a local, Shabir Ahmad Dar resident of Thokerpora, Pulwama were killed in the encounter.
During the encounter, locals staged protest and clashed with security forces. Security forces fired teargas and pellets against the stone-throwing protesters. During protests, one boy sustained bullet wound in arm and he was shifted to hospital for treatment. His condition is stated to be out of danger.
Locals set ablaze a vehicle in the area as they suspected it had been hired by Army.
Meanwhile, internet services were suspended in Pulwama and Budgam districts in the wake of today’s encounter. Police have handed over the body of militant Shabir Dar of Thokerpora to his family.
The 12-Sector Commander, Brigadier Harbir Singh while giving details of the operation said: “We got specific information about presence of terrorists in a specific house in Futlipora. We were tracking this group for last 3-4 days. When we got specific information of their hiding in a house, early in the morning we laid cordon around the village. Around 20 civilians were present in the house where terrorists were hiding. We rescued these civilians from the house and they told us there are 4 terrorists hiding including a local Shabir while three were foreign terrorists and all the four belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)”.
Brigadier Singh said that militants were asked to surrender but they fired on troops leading to a gun battle in which all the four were killed.”We asked them to surrender but they fired heavily on our troops and we also retaliated. The encounter continued for four hours and all the four terrorists were killed. We have recovered four bodies and one of them is of local. One terrorist’s body is lying in the debris of the house. It is a major success for the security forces as these belonged to fidayeen squad of Jaish and they were neutralized without any collateral damage”, he said.
A police spokesman said: “Acting on a specific information, Budgam police along with 10 Gadwal and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Fotlipora area of Police Post Pakherpora, Chrar-e-Sharief, Budgam. During the search operation, terrorists hiding in the area fired upon the joint search party. The fire was retaliated, ensuing an encounter.”
“Three terrorists were killed in the encounter. One of the killed terrorists was identified as Shabir Ahmad Dar resident of Thokerpora Pulwama. The identity of other two foreign terrorists is being ascertained. Three AK rifles, 3 AK magazines, 111 AK rounds and other ammunition was recovered from the encounter site”, he said.
And in North Kashmir’s Sopore area, a LeT commander was killed while two Army personnel were injured in an encounter today.
Sources said that 9 Para of Army laid an ambush in Zaloora forests of Sopore in Baramulla district early today. One para-commando was injured in the ambush and militants fled but were again trapped by the security forces in Bomai area of Sopore.
Army’s 22 RR and SOG Sopore cordoned off Bomai Sopore and in an encounter killed a LeT commander while on Army jawan was injured.
A police spokesman said that Sopore Police along with 22 RR and 179, 92 and 177 Battalions of CRPF acted upon a specific information regarding the presence of militants in Kumar Mohalla Sagipora, Sopore and cordoned off the area. “During searches, terrorist hiding in a Nallah near water point of Kumar Mohalla, Sagipora fired upon the joint search party. The fire was retaliated in which the said terrorist was gunned down. The terrorist was later identified as Muzamil from Pakistan affiliated with LeT outfit, commander of North Kashmir. One AK rifle, 5 AK magazines, 124 AK rounds, one UBGL, 5 UBGL rounds and other ammunition were recovered from the encounter site”, the spokesman added.

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