Fayaz Bukhari
—Excelsior/Amin War
SRINAGAR, Apr 13: A National Conference (NC) youth leader and son of a High Court Judge escaped unhurt in a militant attack at his residence in Khrew area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district today in which two policemen were killed and both the assailants were later shot dead by the security forces.
This is the first attack on a political leader since the Parliamentary elections were announced early last month. Two constables of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed in the attack and both the assailants were later shot dead in a gunfight.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar told Excelsior that two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) identified as Abu Zaid Hamid resident of Pakistan and Usman Gori resident of Abbotabad, Pakistan today attacked the residence of Yawar Masoodi at Bapora, Khrew in district Pulwama at around 2:20 pm.
Masoodi, who was inside the premises, remained unharmed but his police guards- Vinod Kumar and Abdul Hamid – were killed. The militants snatched away service weapons of the cops including one AK-47 rifle and one pistol.
Kumar said that the two militants entered the house of Masoodi and when one of them was being frisked by a police man other militant shot him dead. One of the militants then entered inside the house where he shot dead Masoodi’s security guard. However, Masoodi escaped from the rare door of his house.
Masoodi is a leader of the NC’s youth wing and son of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court judge, Justice Hassnain Masoodi.
The DIG Vijay Kumar said that Special Operations Group (SOG) Awantipora, District police and 50 Rashtriya Rifles of Army launched a cordon and search operation at village Andrusa, 500 metres from the house of Masoodi after they spotted the militants moving in an open area.
Kumar said both the militants were killed in the encounter after they were trapped in an open field. The snatched rifle and two AK-47 rifles were recovered from them, however, pistol is still missing.
The DIG said that searches were called off as residents pelted stones at police and Army. “However, searches will be conducted tomorrow for the missing pistol”, he added.
Al-Shohada brigade in a statement issued to a local news agency claimed responsibility for the attack. The operational spokesman of the outfit told the agency that its militants carried out the attack during which two police men and one of their men were killed.
An Army spokesman said here today that in a swift operation launched by an Rashtirya Rifle unit along with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police in response to killing of two policemen who were the personal security of NC leader Yawar Masoodi resulted in elimination of both the militants and recovery of two AK-47 along with snatched weapons and ammunition.
The statement said: “At 2:15 pm, two terrorists with an aim to assassinate NC leader Yawar Masoodi tried to enter his house near Khrew in Pulwama District. However on being engaged by his personal security staff, the terrorists killed two policemen before fleeing from the location. On receiving the information, an Army unit immediately responded and launched an swift operation and cordoned off the area along with CRPF and SOG of police. The trapped terrorists opened fire which was effectively retaliated resulting into elimination of both the terrorists. Besides two AK- 47 and ammunition, the weapons which was snatched from the policemen were also recovered from the site.” The Army unit was led by Major Karan Khurana of 50 RR.
In the meantime, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trapped two militants of JeM in a house in Ahmad Nagar area of Srinagar this evening.
Sources said that the SOG on specific information raided a house in Ahmad Nagar in which two militants of JeM were hiding. Militants opened fire on the police party leading to an encounter in which one SOG man was injured.
Sources said that the inmates of the house who came out during the gun battle told police that one militant has died and one is alive. The intermittent firing was going on till 8 pm. Security forces have intensified the cordon around the area to prevent the militants from escaping.
Sources said that these militants had escaped from Chehar forests recently. They were in the Ahmad Nagar area for past three days.
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