Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 13: A divisional commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was among three top militants killed in North Kashmir while hunt for the Commander in Chief of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Fahadullah, is on in the Bandipora forests of North Kashmir.
Police identified the dead divisional commander of LeT for North Kashmir as Pakistani national Abu Zarar. He was looking after Bandipora, Lolab and Sopore area of North Kashmir. The other two have been identified as a local militant Khitab of Kulgam district of South Kashmir and Pakistan national Yehya Khan of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit.
A Srinagar based Army spokesman said three Army personnel were also injured in the encounter at Cherhare area of Bandipora. Police said two AK 47 rifles, 4 AK-47 magazine, one pistol, one magazines and one grenade have been recovered from their possession.
Police, 27 Rashtriya Rifles and 9 Para of Army had launched a massive search operation in the forest area of Cherhare , Bomia in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district yesterday morning after 4 top militants including the LeT chief Fahadullah gave slip to the Army and police in the village when they cordoned it off.
Militants were hiding in the house of Mohammad Shafi, Sarpanch of the village, when security forces cordoned it off after receiving information about their presence in the area. Militants fired at the security forces and fled to the orchard and nearby forests taking cover of the dense fog early yesterday morning.
After tracking them for over 30 hours in the forests, the security forces established the first contact with the militants this afternoon when they fired upon the joint search team triggering an encounter. One militant identified as Yehya Khan of JeM was killed in the encounter while three Army personnel were injured.
Among the three injured, one each belonged to Para and Marcos. All the three were evacuated to Srinagar’s 92-Base Hospital at 15 Corps headquarters of the Army for treatment. One of the injured is said to be critical.
However, rest of the militants gave slip to the security forces and fled from the area. Police said after receiving information about their presence in an orchard at village Mundaji, Batengo in Bandipora, Police and 22 RR of Army rushed to the area.
Police said that the militants opened fire on them and troops fired back killing both the militants, Abu Zarar and Khitab. The operation took hardly few minutes for the security forces as both the militants were in open had no cover to engage the troops.
Now out of four militants who were hiding in village Cherhare , Bomia in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district and against whom operation was launched, three have been eliminated while whereabouts of Commander in Chief of the LeT, Fahadullah are still unknown. It is not yet clear whether he is in the cordoned off area or has fled. The security forces cordoned, however, is still on in the Bandipora forests to track the LeT Chief.
Fahadullah is the most wanted militant commander who is mostly operating from North Kashmir’s Sopore area for past 5 years. He infiltrated into Kashmir valley in 2007 and graduated to the LeT Chief as the successive chiefs were killed over the years. He was injured in 2009 during an encounter in Sopore’s Badam Bagh area.
Fahadullah succeeded Abdullah Uni, the most wanted militant commander of LeT who had fled from security cordons dozens of times. Uni was killed by Police and Army during an operation in Sopore town last year.
This is for the second time since past one month that security forces have trapped Chief of any militant organization in Kashmir. Last month Army and police had trapped Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Qari Yasir, along with several top leadership of the outfit in Lolab forests in the frontier district of Kupwara.
Two among the 7-8 trapped militants of the group were injured during the encounter but security forces could not trace them even as they were brought to village Dever for treatment.
The operation lasted for around 10 days but police and Army had to call it off after they failed to trace out the militant group with whom they had established contact soon after launching the operation.
In the meantime, after fresh snowfall in the hills of North Kashmir, Army and Police are having a close look at the militant movements in the villages near the forests. Sources say that with fresh snowfall security forces have information that the militants might come out of their forest hideouts and take shelter in nearby villages.
Sources said that the Army and police are laying ambushes near the forests to trap the militant who are making movement at this time of the year when they come towards the residential areas for shelter.
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