Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 4: In a surgical operation in Hajan area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, security forces today eliminated three militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) including their commander in a fierce gun battle.
DIG North Kashmir, Garib Dass, was leading the operation to ensure that three top militants of LeT, who had infiltrated into North Kashmir forests last year, don’t escape.
Dass told Excelsior that they had information about their movement for last several days and security forces were tracking them. He said that these militants were on their way to South Kashmir to carry out subversive activities there.
Army’s 13 RR and Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police cordoned off Khushipora village of Hajin at around 4.30 am after they received information about their presence in the village.
Police and Army evacuated the civilians from the area as the militants were hiding in a three storied concrete house in a built of area. After their evacuation, Army and police launched assault against these militants.
Reports said that troops first fired tear smoke shells inside the house where the militants were hiding. This was followed by the probing fire by the security forces.
As the militants responded to the probing fire, a fierce gun battle started at around 9.30 am and last for about four hours. However, the security forces ensured that the militants are dead and used IEDs to blast off the house in which the militants were hiding.
Later, during searches of the debris, security forces recovered three bodies of the militants, three AK-47 rifles, one UBGL and large number of IEDs and ammunition.
The DIG said that all these three militants are Pakistani nationals and were hiding in North Kashmir forests for several months and were on their way to South Kashmir. One of them is said to be LeT commander. However, they have not been identified yet.
Dass said that the cordon around the village is on as the security forces are ensuring that no live ammunition or explosive is left behind which can pose danger to the human lives.
Reports said that these militants were part of around 18 member militant group that was hiding in Bandipora forests for almost two months last year before they started moving towards South Kashmir. Almost all of them have shifted to South Kashmir but these three were left behind and were on their way to South Kashmir when they were intercepted by the security forces today.
These militants were said to be highly trained and were carrying large quantity of ammunition besides AK-47 rifles and UBGL.
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