Four lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) militants and a paratrooper were killed in a fierce gunbattle in Hafrada forests of Kashmir’s Handwara pocket on Thursday morning in third encounter in north Kashmir region in past 11 days. The encounter triggered shortly after culmination of another gunfight in Rafiabad belt of Baramulla on Wednesday afternoon that killed a soldier and a lashkar-e-Islam (leI) militant.
Defence sources said that security forces had specific tip-off on presence of a group of militants in Sochalyari forested area in Hafrada, in the jurisdiction of Vilgam police station. In pursuit of the information, a joint team of Handwara police, 9 Para Regiment, 6 Rashtriya Rifles and 98 Battalion CRPF cordoned off the area. This led to first exchange of fire on Wednesday evening but there was no causality on either side.
The stand-off continued throughout the night. On Thursday morning, the exchange of fire resumed to continue for several hours. During the firing four unidentified militants were gunned down. They are believed to be Pakistani nationals with affiliation to leT outfit.
During the exchange of fire, one paratrooper Mohan Nath Goswami also received bullet injuries and later succumbed. Three other jawans were wounded in the encounter. They were airlifted to Srinagar Base Hospital for treatment.
This is the third encounter in the past 11 days in north Kashmir area, which resulted into killing of nine militants and two soldiers.
On August 24, encounter took place in Qazinag Dhar area of Uri near line of Control (loC) after security forces intercepted a group of militants. One militant was killed in the encounter. The militants took a treacherous route through forested area to avoid further confrontation with the Army but they were intercepted again in Rafiabad heights.
Another encounter took place in ladoora area of Rafiabad on September 2 that resulted into death of a soldier and a militant. The slain militant identified as Riyaz Ahmad Mir alias Gosha, a resident of Brath Kalan village in Sopore, was a top-ranking militant of lashkar-e-Islam outfit, a splinter group of Hizbul Mujahideen. Mir, according to police, was involved in a number of attacks on police and security forces besides attempting to ban mobile telephony in the north Kashmir area.