LeT comdr, associate killed

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar addressing a press conference with Army and CRPF officers in Srinagar. —Excelsior/Shakeel
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar addressing a press conference with Army and CRPF officers in Srinagar. —Excelsior/Shakeel

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 29: A top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander and a foreign militant were killed in an overnight gunfight at Maloora area of Parimpora in the outskirts of Srinagar.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar told a press conference here that LeT commander Abrar Nadeem was first arrested at Parimpora by security forces yesterday afternoon. “He was taken to a police station where joint teams of police, Army and CRPF interrogated him. Abrar disclosed that he had kept his weapon AK-47 at Maloora area after which the area was cordoned off and a house was searched,” he said.
He said that security forces had taken Abrar along and when the house was being searched, a foreign militant was hiding inside, who fired at the security forces, in which Abrar was injured besides three CRPF men including an officer.
“Abrar had not disclosed about foreign militant hiding in the house,” the IGP said, adding Abrar and the foreign militant were killed during the operation. “Two AK-47-rifles were recovered from the encounter site. The two were set to carry out a big strike on the national highway near Parimpora, Narbal or Lawaypora stretch”, he added.
The IGP said that Abrar was wanted in the Lawaypora shoot-out case where he along with another militant Khursheed Mir had killed three CRPF men in March this year. “Khursheed Mir was killed in the recent Sopore gunfight and the rifle he had snatched from the slain CRPF man was also recovered from him. TRF outfit had recently released a video in which Khursheed was shown snatching the weapon and firing at the CRPF men and Lawaypora,” he said.
Kumar said the killing of Abrar and another foreign militant is a big success for the security forces. “While arresting Abrar, joint teams had recovered a pistol and a grenade,” he said.
Asked whether Lashkar has its active men in Srinagar, the IGP said that after “radicalization and indoctrination”, six youth from Srinagar joined militancy of which one was killed recently.
“Five others are active and will be killed or arrested soon,” he said, adding that there is a “network of sleeper cells” also active in Srinagar and efforts are on to break that nexus soon.”
Kumar said that drones are a new technical threat and all the security agencies have jointly reviewed the situation while all the security installations and LoC in the Valley are on a high alert.
“GOC 15 Corps and I along with officials of other security agencies have reviewed the drone threat. It’s a new security challenge and a technical threat. We will deal with it technically. Deployment has been made at vital installations and details of that can’t be shared. All the security installations are on a high alert in the Valley,” Kumar said,
He said a drone movement was spotted in Jammu today after which an FIR has been lodged there. “We are maintaining high alert and ready to face this new challenge,” he added.
He said that the two attackers who killed a Special Police Officer (SPO), his wife and daughter at Hariparigam, Awantipore on June 27 night, have been identified.
“Two Jaish militants carried out the attack on SPO Fayaz Ahmed at Haripargiam killing him, his wife and his daughter. One attacker is a foreign militant and another is a local,” the IGP Kashmir said.
He said that both the militants will be tracked down soon as the searches have already been launched in Awantipora belt. The IGP Kashmir said that militants are targeting innocent civilians and unarmed policemen be that one at Habba Kadal, another at Kanipora, Srinagar or the SPO and his family members at Hariparigam.
“These killings are aimed at creating a fear psychosis to disrupt the ongoing tourist season. We can’t stop our men from going home on leave. They are from this place and have a right to visit their families”, he added.