Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 22: One militant of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was today killed in a fierce gun battle in Khrew area of South Kashmir during the operation that was going on in the area for last two days.
The gun battle started yesterday after security forces including 50 RR of Army and Awantipora Police raided a militant hideout in Zantrag forest area of Khrew where militants were hiding. As the security forces zeroed-in on the hideout in the forest village, the hiding militants fired indiscriminately on the troops resulting in fatal casualties of two security forces personnel. Click here to watch video
The militants hiding in the village managed to escape after initial firefight but the security forces continued the operation and cordoned off the forest area as well. The operation was put on hold for the night and in the morning the searches were resumed.
The troops found the militants in the forest area in the afternoon and challenged them leading to a gun battle in which one militant was killed. His identity has not been ascertained so far. The searches of the area were conducted and his body and arms and ammunition were recovered.
Security forces have put the operation on hold this evening and will resume it in the morning to trace out the other militant.
Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Dilbag Singh told reporters on the sidelines of wreath laying ceremony that they had information about presence of two militants in Khrew when the operation was launched.
“Yesterday, in Khrew, the security forces launched an operation. In that operation, the reports were that two militants were hiding in some residential house. As soon as the operation began, there was an exchange of fire between the militants and the forces. In the ensuing exchange of fire, an Army soldier and a SPO named Shahzad Ahmad were martyred”, he said.
Singh said anti militancy operations in Kashmir have gathered pace and security forces have achieved major successes recently.
“We feel that the security forces personnel who are sacrificing themselves, their sacrifices won’t go waste. The anti-militancy operations have gathered pace in the Valley, and due to that there is a lot of activity in South Kashmir. We have had at least half a dozen of successful operations so far and such operations will continue in the future as well. We will continue to work stringently for the people of J&K for the peace to sustain here”, he said.
“With regard to the Republic Day ceremony, we have reviewed the security arrangements everywhere and in Srinagar, we have completed the security arrangements and everything is in place”, the DGP said.
This year security forces conducted successful operations in which nine militants including two top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed and besides deputy commander of Hizbul Mujahideen Hammad Khan was also arrested along with DySP Devinder Singh.
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