LeT loses its ‘last militant’ in Shopian

7 ultras killed in 4 gunbattles in 3 days

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Nov 2: With the death of two more militants in a gunbattle in Shopian, Police and security forces have killed as many as seven militants in four separate operations in Kashmir valley in the last three days.

Authoritative sources in South Kashmir told Early Times that Shopian Police and troops of Kathhalan camp of Rashtriya Rifles 44 Bn laid to Kral Mohalla, Trenz, in Zainapora-Shopian belt over a specific information last evening. Forces maintained a tight cordon around a cluster of the residential houses where two local militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba had forcibly stayed at the house of Ghulam Mohammad Malik S/o Abdul Gaffar Malik.

It was aound 0230 hours that one militant, armed with a sophisticated AKL-74 rifle, opened indiscriminate fire on the forces outside from a window of Malik’s house and made unsuccessful attempts to escape. However, troops retaliated and engaged both the holed up militants in a fierce gunbattle. Even as two soldiers of RR 44 Bn sustained injuries in the initial round of the firing, both the militants got killed in the gunbattle. They were later identified as Gowhar Ahmed Ganai alias Dujana S/o Ghulam Hussain Ganai R/o Hef Shirmal, Shopian, and Mudassar Ahmed Bhat alias Weqas S/o Ghulam Mohammad Bhat R/o Yamrachh, Kulgam.

Sources said that one AK-74 rifle and one AK-47 rifle were recovered from the site of the gunbattle.

Officials said that after the death of his fellow villager and relative, Mohammad Saleem Ganai alias Faisal, in an encounter with Police and security forces at Kawdrung Kaimoh, in Kulgama area yesterday, Gowhar was the last existing militant in the once turbulent Zainapora belt in Shopian area. They said that Hef Shirmal village had produced the maximum number of militants among all villages in Police district of Shopian in the last 21 years of militancy.

SP Shopian, Shahid Meraj Rather, confirmed that Gowhar was the last listed militant wanted in Zainapora-Shopian belt. He said that after the death of dreaded Lashkar militant, Rehman, sometime back in an encounter with the armed forces, Gowhar was the last militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba in a vast area in South Kashmir. The other day only, Saleem Ganai alias Faisaln and a foreign militant had got killed in a fierce gunbattle with Kulgam Police and Army in Kaimoh area of Kulgam, in South Kashmir.

On Sunday, Police and security forces had killed two militants in an encounter in Zachaldara area of Handwara in North Kashmir, hours after one militant was killed in an encounter in Ahad Sahib Mohalla of Sopore,n in Baramulla district. With today’s gunbattle in Shopian, Police and security forces have killed as many as seven militants in four separate operations in Kashmir valley.

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