Four militants killed, one held in three gunfights across Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 12: Security Forces Saturday claimed to have killed four militants including two commanders of Jaish-e-Muhammad including a foreigner, in three separate nocturnal gunbattles in north, south and central Kashmir districts. One militant was captured alive along with a weapon in one of the encounters.
A police official said that since Friday evening, police along with security forces neutralised four killed including a foreign militant from Pakistan in three operations in the Valley. The first operation took place in Chewakalan area of Pulwama district, when police, 50 RR, 182 Bn CRPF in the area.
“As the search party moved towards local Darul Uloom, militants hiding inside fired indiscriminately upon the search party in which one civilian identified as Zahoor Ahmad Shergojri son of Muhammad Abdullah of Chewklan received gunshot injury who was later shifted to hospital where his condition is said to be stable,” the official said. “The joint party retaliated the fire leading to an encounter. Keeping the sanctity of the institution into mind, operation was carried out with all due precautions and deliberations.”
The official said that in the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. “One of the killed militants has been identified as a Pakistani commander Kamaal Bhai alias Jatt while the other slain was identified as commander Aqib Mushtaq alias Usman Hyder son of Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat resident of Karimabad, Pulwama. Both were affiliated with outfit JeM,” the official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
The official said that Pulwama police along with 50RR and 183Bn CRPF caught an active militant during another anti-militancy operation carried in village Wahibugh area. “He has been identified as Rouf Ahmad Mir son of Mohammad Yousuf Mir resident of Parigam Pulwama. Incriminating material, arms & ammunition including a pistol, two magazines, 26 rounds, 03 grenades and 01 pouch were recovered from his possession,” he said.
A police spokesman in a statement said that two more anti-militancy operations were launched in village Nechama Rajwar area of Handwara by Police, 21RR & 09 Para and in village Serch area of Ganderbal by Police, 24RR & 115 CRPF followed by specific information’s generated by respective police units. “As the joint search parties approached towards suspected spots, the hiding terrorists started firing indiscriminately on the search parties which was retaliated leading to encounters at both the places,” the spokesman said.
He said that in the ensuing encounters at Handwara and Ganderbal, one militant each, affiliated with LeT were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounters.
“The slain at Handwara encounter site has been identified as Suhail Ahmad Ganie son of Gulzar Ahmad resident of Terigam Kulgam while as the killed militant at Ganderbal has been identified as Adil Ahmad Khan son of Abdul Ahad resident of Badarkund Ganderbal,” the spokesman said.
He said that from the three encounter sites, incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including two AK-56 rifles, 01 AK short barrel rifle, 01 Pistol, 09 AK-magazines, 01 Grenade, 08 Pistol rounds and 32 AK rounds have been recovered.
“IGP Kashmir termed the elimination of wanted Pakistani militant as a big success and congratulated the joint forces for conducting successful anti-terrorist operations without any collateral damage. Besides, stressed on the officers to speed up the anti-militancy operations so as to make the valley militancy free,” the spokesman said.
IGP Kashmir Speaks: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar said that on Friday evening, police received specific inputs in three districts—Pulwama, Ganderal and Handwara about the presence of militants. “An operation took place in Pulwama’s Chawalgam in which two Jaish militants including a top commander of the outfit Khalid Bhai from Pakistan, who was active since 2018, was killed. His associate Yaqib Mushtaq, who was district commander of JeM after the killing of Zahid Wani, was also killed. Yaqib was from Karimabad area, once the hotbed of JeM,” the IGP said, adding that “Now there is no active JeM militant in Karimabad.”
He said that one LeT militant was killed in Handwara encounter and another in Ganderbal while one militant Rouf Ahmed Mir was caught alive in Pulwama encounter along with Pistol.
The IGP said that nowadays there is one foreign militant accompanying at least two local militants and on the directions from across, they try to misuse religious places to trigger law and order situation. “We are alert to foil such bids as seen recently at Pulwama and Hazratbal, Srinagar,” he said.