Hotel shootout toll reaches 2 as Lolab youth succums at SKIMS

LeT militant Muzamil alias Hashaam trapped in Sopore

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Oct 20: With the death of one more civilian, toll of Friday’s ‘fidayeen-type’ attack at Hotel Silver Star has reached two today. Meanwhile, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba’s top wanted militant in Sopore area, Muzamil Amin Dar, is believed to have got trapped after his associates lobbed grenades and fired upon a search party of Police and CRPF in the north Kashmir apple town.

Authoritative sources told Early Times that Anees Ahmad Wani S/o Habibullah Wani R/o Divar Anderbug, Lolab, Kupwara, succumbed to injuries at SKIMS today. As already reported, he had sustained critical injuries in yesterday’s shootout at Hotel Silver Star on the National Highway Bypass at 4.30 p.m. Farooq Ahmad Bhat S/o Ghulam Nabi Bhat R/o Luryar, Tral, had died on the spot and one more civilian had got hit in his hand. All the were staffers of the Hotel.

Meanwhile, informed sources said that Police and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation on a tip off in Shalapora locality of Sopore at 3.30 p.m. today. The operation began minutes after Police received information that two to three militants of LeT were present at their hideout about 300 yards in the backside of Police Station Sopore.

Sources associated with the operation told Early Times over telephone from the cordoned locality that militants fired a couple of gunshots and lobbed two hand grenades when the house-to-house search operation was underway. One CRPF personnel sustained minor injuries. However, rather than intense retaliation, Police went for evacuation of the entire civilian population. It took more than three hours.

Sources said that LeT’s top wanted militant in Sopore, Muzamil Amin Dar alias Hashaam, was believed to have got trapped alongwith one of his local associates at his hideout. Police zeroed in on a cluster of four residential houses and maintained tight siege around it. Officials said that Police and CRPF would continue the cordon for the whole night and storm the suspected hideout in the morning tomorrow. However, if holed up, militants could attempt to escape from the cordon area during the night with the advantage of darkness.

According to official sources, Muzamil used to work as a Theatre Assistant in the State Health Department and he went underground only after his associates were arrested by Delhi Police from Jkarkhand last year. He was believed to be a key member of the group. Current year’s reports suggested that Muzamil was operating in Sopore area in coordination of two top functionaries of the organisation. Muzafar alias Muz Maulvi and a Pakistani commander of LeT, Fahadullah, were suspected to be guiding him from the top.

Sources said that in the past, Police and security forces had recovered some arms and ammunition from Muzamil’s residential house.

However, hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani has described Muzamil as a non-militant civilian and claimed that he went underground following continuous Police raids on his home. He alleged that Police had now detained Muzamil’s brother who was an M Com student with University of Kashmir. Reports said that his class students observed a boycott to the studies and staged a demonstration while calling for his immediate release on Saturday.

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