Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 2: At least 2 militants are believed to be dead in Handwara forests in the frontier district of Kupwara this evening after security forces launched an operation against militants who were hiding in the forests.
A senior Army officer told Excelsior that 6 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 9 Para of Army and Handwara Police launched a joint operation in Gatyali Behak in Rajwar forest area of Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara this afternoon.
The officer said that the operation was launched after the security forces received information about the presence of 3 militants in a forest hideout in Rajwar forest area.
The Army officer said that the operation was launched in the morning and two militants are believed to be dead. “Since it was dark and the dead bodies were not retrieved yet. The area is cordoned off for the night and in the morning the area will be searched for the militant bodies”, he added.
The operation was launched at around 11:30 a.m. Security forces search operation continued for whole day and in the evening they were fired upon by militants leading to an encounter.
Sources said that militants were hiding in a forest hideout and opened fire form inside the hideout when security forces trapped them. “Security forces fired grenades inside the hideout to eliminate the militants but it was not clear whether the militants are dead or alive. After the grenades were fired there was no response from them to the security forces firing and it is believed they are dead”, sources added.
The dead militants are believed to be of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) whose task was to receive the infiltrated militants as the snow has started melting in the sector and militants are ready on launching pads for infiltration.
Last year security forces killed Divisional Commander of LeT Abu Hanzala in these forests. Hanzala had made these forests permanent base for past few years and was responsible for infiltrating militants into Kashmir valley. He was providing them money and other logistic support.
The infiltration attempts by militants in this sector received a major jolt after the killing of Hanzala but of late the LeT had tasked this group of receiving the infiltrated militants.
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