The security forces on Sunday shot dead two lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) terrorists suspected to have been involved in a fidayeen attack on an artillery garrison in Kupwara on April 27. Police said the two terrorists were killed in a brief encounter at Warpora area of Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, around a hundred kilometers from here.
Director General of Police Dr SP Vaid said the two terrorists have been part of the group that infiltrated last month to launch an attack on an army garrison. He said it was unclear whether the duo had actually taken part in the suicide strike. Army said that one of the slain terrorists had a unhealed wound that indicates that he might have been involved in the fidayeen strike at Panzgam formation.
The Panzgam strike was the first fidayen (suicide) attack in Kashmir this year that resulted into killing of three soldiers including a Captain, and two terrorists on April 27. The artillery garrison close to the line of Control (loC) was stormed from the rear side of the camp at wee hours as the attackers cut the barbed wire to force their entry into the camp.
The Sunday gunfight erupted when the Army’s 21 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police launched an anti-terrorist operation in Waripora following inputs about presence of terrorists .
“During the brief firefight that lasted around 10 minutes two leT terrorists were killed. Their identity is being ascertained but they appear to be Pakistani nationals linked with the lashkar,” Senior Superin-tendent of Police, Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani said.
“We have found yet-to-heal graze wound on one of the eliminated terrorist which is indicative of a likely involvement of these two terrorists in the Panzgam suicide attack. We have found some other evidence also amongst the war like stores confirming their involvement in Panzgam incident,” Commanding Officer of 21 RR, Col Kuldeep Singh told reporters.
In a separate incident an AK rifle, three magazines were recovered in Handwara on Sunday. Police said the recovery was made during the demolition of an old mosque in Rajwar area of Handwara.
“During the demolition of an old Masjid Sharief in lashipora, Rajwar, locals found an AK rifle and three magazines. later on, villagers informed Handwara police and handed the rifle and magazines to them,” a police spokes-
man said.
Meanwhile, three persons were injured in a mysterious blast in Tral during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Police said a mysterious blast took place at Pastuna Tral, some 40 kilometers from Srinagar.