Soldier killed in Bandipora, operation against LeT militants on

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 28: A soldier was killed in a fierce gun battle with militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba in the forests of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district this evening while a major operation against a group of highly trained militants is going on.
Militants this evening fired at a search party of Army’s 14 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Buthoo forest area of Bandipora, critically injuring an Army soldier, Rifleman Samod, of 14 RR. He was removed to hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital.
The Army continued to engage the LeT militants in the gun battle but under the cover of darkness they managed to escape from the scene of the gun battle. More troops belonging to 22, 32, 52, 29, 30 and 31RR were rushed to the area and a massive operation has been launched against them.
Army’s 14, 27 and 13 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 7 para-commandos, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a massive operation against an LeT militant group that is hiding in Banidpora forests and have made it a base.
Security forces noticed the movement of 3-4 LeT militants with whom army had a brief encounter in Serinder Kudara forest area yesterday morning. The militants, however, managed to escape after the gun battle due to dense fog in the area.
Army had launched search operation for past several weeks in the forest area where LeT militants have established a base for past two months.
Bandipora area that was militancy free since 2008, has become active once again for past two months as LeT militants have established a base in the forests of the border district.
LeT established base in the area after Army and police conducted massive operations since May this year in North Kashmir forests putting pressure on the militants. So far they have killed 54 militants in North Kashmir including those killed on the Line of Control (LoC) while infiltrating.
Sources said there were over a dozen of LeT militants in Bandipora forests for past two months. These militants are believed to have shifted to Bandipora forests recently.
The operations in the Bandipora forests were intensified after a police officer, Sub-Inspector Altaf Ahmad, was killed in a gun battle at Gund Dachin area of Bandipora on October 7, when he intercepted a vehicle in which militants including divisional commander of Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Abu Qasim, was travelling.
Security forces had information that the militant commander was on his way to Bandipora to receive a militant group of LeT and facilitate its movement to South Kashmir. Reports said that Qasim was trying to shift these LeT militants to South Kashmir but security forces have foil that attempt so far and they want to tackle them in the forests only.

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