An Army Major and a soldier were martyred and two terrorists were killed in separate encounters in south Kashmir’s Shopian and Kulgam quarters on Thursday, two days after top-ranking commander of lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) terrorist outfit Abu Dujana was killed in Pulwama. A soldier was injured in the ambush that inflicted casualties on the Army in Shopian.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and XV Corps Commander paid homage to the slain Army men during a wreath laying ceremony at Srinagar. Sources said that Hizbul Mujahideen opened indiscriminate fire on a group of soldiers as they disembarked from an armoured vehicle around 2 am at Zadipora Village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The soldiers had arrived in the village to initiate a cordon and search operation after receiving Intelligence inputs about terrorists’ presence in the area.
“The soldiers of 62 Rashtriya Rifles arrived in the village to launch a joint operation after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area. The party was ambushed that left three soldiers including an officer critically wounded,” Defence sources said.
The Army retaliated in right earnest and the exchange of fire continued for some time, they said, adding the wounded soldiers were immediately airlifted to 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar where two soldiers including a Major rank officer succumbed to injuries.
Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia identified the slain officer as Major Kamlesh Pandey, 29, from Almora, Uttarakhand and Sepoy Tanzin Chhultim, 25, of lahaul Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
“A massive operation was launched later in the area to nab the terrorists involved in the attack,” Col Kalia said. However, sources said terrorists escaped from the village taking advantage of darkness.
later, Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack and announced awards for the terrorists involved in the attack. In a statement to a local news agency, the outfit described the attack as a revenge action.
The police claimed that they have received some vital clues about the attackers. “Three terrorists were involved in the attack including Altaf Kachroo,” said Shopian Superintendent of Police Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar, adding a manhunt has been launched in the area to track down the attackers.
This is the second major ambush in Shopian region, which has emerged as one of the most volatile areas in south Kashmir. On February 23, in one such ambush three soldiers were killed and five others including two officers were wounded at Mulu Chitragam Village while an elderly civilian woman was injured.
Hours before the Shopian ambush, the Hizbul Mujahideen lost two cadres during a brief gunfight with security forces in adjacent Kulgam district, around 75 kilometres from Srinagar.
The slain terrorists were identified as Aqib Ahmad Ittoo of Gopalpora and Suhail Ratherof Yaripora area, both recent recruits of the outfit. Police said that cordon and search operations were launched by the security forces in Gopalpora about 11 pm on Wednesday night following specific inputs regarding the presence of terrorist.
During the cordon operation, terrorists opened fire on the security forces, which was retaliated. During a brief exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed. One AK-47 and an INSAS rifle were recovered from the encounter site. The bodies were handed over to the families for the last rites, while strict restrictions were enforced by authorities to prevent people from protesting or moving towards the sites of the funerals.
Thousands of people took part in the funeral of the slain terrorists. A group of armed terrorists appeared at the funeral of Suhail Rather and offered gun salutes to their slain ultras.
Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in Kulgam and Anantnag districts, and parts of Pulwama district to mourn the killings. A police spokesman said Aqib was involved in the attack on a cash van of J&K Bank at Pombai Kulgam in which five policemen were martyred and two civilians lost their lives.
late in the evening, another encounter triggered off in Kanelwan area of Bijbehara sub-division in Anatnag district. Sources said several terrorists were trapped in the area.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti paid rich tributes to the slain Major Kamlesh Pandey and the jawan for their bravery and valour. She conveyed her sympathies with the bereaved families. Mehbooba Mufti also wished a speedy recovery for the other soldier injured in the incident.
Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and several other Ministers also laid wreaths on the bodies of the Army Major and the jawan. Chief Secretary, BB Vyas, GoC XV Corps, lt Gen JS Sandhu, Director General of Police, SP Vaid, divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan, officers of civil, Police and Army were present on the wreath laying ceremony.