LeT comdr slips out of cordon
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, July 19: Security forces today said that there are over 250 militants operating in Kashmir with majority of them Pakistanis against whom operations to eliminate them are going on across the Valley.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) Counter-Insurgency Victor Force Major General BS Raju today said on the sidelines of a Medical camp organized in Anantnag that there are 110 militants active in South Kashmir out of which nearly 100 are locals. “There are around 110 militants operating in South Kashmir out of which around 100 are locals and around 10-15 are foreignness. We are conducting operations against them which will continue”, he said.
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The GOC, however, appealed the local militants to shun the path of violence and assured them that Army will help in their rehabilitation. “I appeal to the militants, who have taken to arms to shun the path of violence and return to mainstream. We assure you that we will work for your safety”, he said.
Major General Raju sought help from parents, teachers and respectable of the society for preventing youth from joining militancy and bringing those back who have already joined. “We also appeal the parents of these children, teachers and respectable citizens of the area to convince the children not to tread on wrong path and those who are already on that path they help us in bringing them back”, he added.
The GOC offered help to those people who are not indulging in any time of anti-national activities. “I want to give message to the people that those who are doing good work and are doing their businesses or any other work for earning their livelihood we want to help them”, he said.
When asked about the killing of a civilian in alleged army firing in Bijbehara yesterday, the Army Commander said: “We are pained at the loss of lives. We always make changes in the Army drills whenever we feel it needs the change. We take measures to prevent the loss of life”, he said.
Major General Raju said that the medical camp was organized for the people of Anantnag who helped Amarnath yatris in the aftermath of militant attack on their bus last week. “The residents of the area came forward and donated blood for the yatris who were injured in the attack on their bus last week. We wanted to organize the medical camp to thank them for providing help to the injured pilgrims”, he said.
In the meantime, Deputy Inspector General of CRPF, R K Yadav said that are 156 foreigners militants active in North Kashmir. He, however, didn’t specify the locals who are working with them and their Over Ground Workers. He said that we are ready to face any challenge posed by these militants in the area.
DIG Yadav told this to the reporters on the sidelines of an award function held at 45th Battalion of CRPF in Sumbal area of Bandipora to felicitate its men and officers who foiled a Fidayeen attack on their camp last month.
Meanwhile, the most wanted militant in Kashmir and divisional commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Abu Dujana, today slipped out of security forces ambush in Pulwama district of South Kashmir after a brief gun battle and a massive operation has been launched against him.
Sources said that LeT divisional commander, Abu Dujana, who is the most wanted militant in Kashmir valley slipped out of police dragnet this evening in Pulwama district of South Kashmir by firing at a vehicle in which police was chasing him.
Sources said that Abu Dujana was on his way from Tral to Pulwama and police in civvies was following him in a civil car. He used a private Santro maroon colour car bearing registration number JK13C 6521 and a Sumo Taxi bearing registration number JK01 K 8578 to travel from Tral to Pulwama.
They said that at Banderpora village, Abu Dujana got suspicious of a Bolero car that was chasing him. He fired at the tyre of the car before abandoning the Sumo in which he was travelling and also fired at the tyre of an Army vehicle that had laid ambush against him in the village.
Police and Army also fired at him several rounds but he managed to slip out of their dragnet. More troops were rushed to the area and a massive hunt has been launched against him in the nearby villages by joint team of police and Army.
Police seized the two vehicles and arrested the driver of the Sumo and he is being questioned. However, the Santro driver fled leaving behind the car. Police have registered a case and investigations are going on.
Sources said that security forces are searching for him in the nearby villages as they feel he might not have gone far off as he was limping when he jumped out of the Sumo.
Abu Dujana succeeded Abu Qasim who was killed on October 29, 2015 in a gun battle in South Kashmir. Since then he slipped out of security cordon several times. He is involved in all the major attacks in South Kashmir for last 3-4 years including attack on BSF convoy in Udhampur in 2015.
In the meantime, Army today continued searches for the infiltrators in Gurez sector along the Line of Control (LoC). They foiled a major infiltration bid in Gurez sector by killing two militants yesterday. However, the searches for the rest members of the group is going on. It may be mentioned here that a group of six militants tried to sneak into Gurez sector of Bandipora yesterday but Army personnel of 13-Sikh regiment noticed their movement and challenged them killing two militants and recovered three AK-47 rifles and ammunition during searches of the area.
And in Nowgam sector along the LoC in Kupwara district of North Kashmir, Pakistan today violated ceasefire by targeting forward posts of the Army. Sources said that the Army gave befitting reply to Pakistani firing and intermittent firing is going on.
There is tension in the sector since yesterday after the Pakistani troops sniped an Army jawan, Rifleman Vimal Sinjali, of 4/1 GR in Nowgam.
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