Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 4: A civilian was killed while two Army men were injured as militants ambushed an Army patrol party in Imam Saheb area of Shopian this evening while security forces conducted a massive operation against militants in the area.
A civilian driver, identified as Nazir Ahmad Sheikh of Kucdoora village of Shopian, who was driving the cab in which Army was returning after search and cordon operation, was killed in the ambush and two Army men were injured.
The driver, critically injured in the militant attack, was rushed to a hospital, but he succumbed and injured Army soldiers are stable. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen claimed the responsibility of the attack on Army.
Earlier in the morning, Army conducted massive search and cordon operation in several villages in Shopian district after militants intensified their attacks on police and security forces in South Kashmir and looted banks and weapons.
Army’s 1-RR, 55 RR, 62 RR, 44 RR and 2-Para, Special Operations Group (SOG) of Kulgam, SOG Shopian and 8 Battalion of Central Reserve Force (CRPF) cordoned off orchards of several villages in Shopian district. However, no one was arrested during the operation. At Maldoora, Turkawangam and Trenz village, groups of protesters pelted stones on the security forces.
Helicopters and drones were used and more than 4,000 troops fanned out across these orchards in a massive operation to flush out militants responsible for series of attacks including one in which 5 soldiers and 2 bank officials were killed and several banks were robbed and weapons looted.
The operation in Shopian was the biggest in more than a decade in Kashmir valley when security forces used to cordon off several villages and conduct search operations against militants.
The cordon and search operation followed intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the area. However, no contact was established with the militants and no one was arrested.
Recently, videos of large groups of militants – in some cases as many as 30 – have surfaced on social media, despite the ban imposed by authorities on 22 such sites and applications.
Security agencies believed that these videos were shot in South Kashmir, especially Shopian district.
In the meantime, two militants managed to escape from cordon in Khudwani area of Kulgam this evening. Reports said that security forces cordoned off village Khudwani this evening and after a brief shoot out militants escaped from the cordoned area.
A large group of people gathered during the operation in the village and pelted stones on security forces to disrupt the operation. Security forces fired tear smoke to disperse the protesters. The operation was later called off.
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