Security forces gunned down four militants belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen and lashkar-e-Tayyeba outfits in two separate encounters in the Kashmir Valley on Monday. A prolonged operation to flush out a group of recently-infiltrated militants is continuing in Manigah forests of north Kashmir.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar lt Col NN Joshi said that three militants were killed in a surgical operation in Siligam village near Aishmuqam.
The police said the operation was launched on the basis of specific information about the presence of militants in Siligam Ashmuqam area of south Kashmir’s Pahalgam pocket when police, 3-Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF personnel cordoned off the area.
“Hiding militants opened fire on the joint search party and encounter broke out. The encounter ended with the elimination of three militants of HM outfit,” a police spokesman said.
The slain militants were identified as Sartaj Ahmad lone, Adil Ahmad Sheikh and Tanveer Ahamd Bhat, all residents of Bijbehara pocket of south Kashmir. The Bijbehara highway town is the ancestral place of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. One of the slain militants Tanveer Ahmad Bhat’s house is situated in the vicinity of Sayeed’s ancestral house at Baba Mohalla in Bijbehara.
The police said Aadil Sheikh was involved in the killing of a policeman Arif Nazir Khan of Police Station Bijbehara on June 16 this year.
Tanveer was involved in the killing of a civilian Javid Ahamd Sofi, alias Waza, on March 22 this year.
The police said three AK-47 rifles with six magazines, a pistol with magazine and one uni-barrel grenade launcher were recovered from the possession of slain militants.
Meanwhile, a day after a lieutenant colonel was wounded in a gun-battle with militants in Kupwara forests, the Army on Monday said that an unidentified non-local militant was gunned down in the area. “One militant was gunned down by the Army jawans in a fresh firing at Kupwara. The search operation is still going on. The slain militant has not been identified yet,” Joshi said.
He said that on Monday morning a brief exchange of firing took place between the two sides and soon additional teams of security forces were rushed to the area to prevent other militants from escaping. “During the operation, the Army managed to kill one of the militants and rest is suspected to be hiding in a nearby jungle.”
On November 17, the Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles Colonel Santosh Mahadik, who was leading a search party, was killed when militants hiding in a dense forest area of Haji Naka opened fire.
On Sunday, a lieutenant-Colonel of 160 Territorial Army was severely injured during a combing operation at Handwara area. Since last Saturday, based on sources information about the suspicious movement of militants, the Army has launched a search operation against them in Bhawan village in Handwara.