Two LeT
militants traced by drone, killed in Pulwama gunfight
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
_________
SRINAGAR, Aug 11: Two Kashmiri militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, allegedly involved in over a dozen killings and attacks on security forces, were killed in Lajora area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir even as both had escaped before were traced out by Army’s drone in a thick vegetation.
Sources associated with the 18-hour-long joint operation of Rashtriya Rifles 55 Bn, Special Operations Group of Pulwama District Police and Central Reserve Police Force, told STATE TIMES that Showkat Ahmad Lone alias Ali of Lelhar and Gulzar Ahmad Bhat alias Shaheen of Talangam had opened fire on an Army contingent on Lajora - Awantipora Road, near Ratanpura on Monday evening. Troops retaliated and laid siege to the neighbourhood but both the holed up militants managed to break the cordon.
A building in which the militants had taken shelter was cleared and occupied by the troops. The militants appeared to be hiding in the adjoining agriculture fields which were quickly taken under cordon. Intermittent firing from the fields continued for the whole night.
On one point of time, it was decided to eliminate the holed up militants with high voltage electric current on the pattern of an operation in Sopore in 2013. However, the idea was shelved when some officers expressed apprehension that such an action during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government could activate human rights groups and the regime could take strong action for deviating from the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP).
Meanwhile, in the forenoon on Tuesday large number of the residents came out of their houses and engaged Police and security forces in pitched battles apparently in an attempt to break the down and provide a safe passage to the militants. Reports said that five persons got injured in stone pelting and tear gas shelling. However, officials maintained that only one civilian sustained injuries besides a personal security officer of SSP Pulwama Tejinder Singh. They said that the Police and security forces observed maximum possible restraint, faced the brunt of the stone pelting and did not withdraw until both the militants were killed.
Finally Army pressed into service an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), equipped with sophisticated surveillance system, that detected the hiding militants effectively. Subsequently, a bunker was used to take the commandos to a vantage position. They targeted and shot dead both the militants.
Sources said that both Showkat and Gulzar had visited the LeT militant Naveed at the organisation's hideout in Khrew forest area before he came down to Kakpora and Kulgam area and finally attacked a BSF convoy near Udhampur on August 5. Naveed was captured alive, though his accomplice Noman died in the terror strike that killed 2 BSF soldiers and left 12 more of them injured.
Both Showkat and Gulzar figured in the category of the top wanted militants of South Kashmir on account of the incidents they were allegedly involved in and booked in different FIRs.
An official spokesman later added that Showkat was also
involved in the grenade attack at Pahoo in which one CRPF man was killed and several others, including a CRPF Inspector, two civilians and a Policeman were injured. He was also responsible for an attack on Tata Sumo stand at Kakapora in which some civilians were injured. He said that Showkat was also involved in an attack at Galander, Pampore, in which two Police personnel and a civilian got killed. He was also booked for the killing of a Head Constable of Railway Police at Puchal as also in terrorising panches and sarpanches.
Gulzar had allegedly indoctrinated and recruited a big number of the local cadres for LeT. He stood booked in some FIRs for snatching away weapons from Police and paramilitary personnel. The official spokesman claimed that Gulzar was also very close to LeT's Divisional Commander Qasim, a Pakistani militant.
END
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
_________
SRINAGAR, Aug 11: Two Kashmiri militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, allegedly involved in over a dozen killings and attacks on security forces, were killed in Lajora area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir even as both had escaped before were traced out by Army’s drone in a thick vegetation.
Sources associated with the 18-hour-long joint operation of Rashtriya Rifles 55 Bn, Special Operations Group of Pulwama District Police and Central Reserve Police Force, told STATE TIMES that Showkat Ahmad Lone alias Ali of Lelhar and Gulzar Ahmad Bhat alias Shaheen of Talangam had opened fire on an Army contingent on Lajora - Awantipora Road, near Ratanpura on Monday evening. Troops retaliated and laid siege to the neighbourhood but both the holed up militants managed to break the cordon.
A building in which the militants had taken shelter was cleared and occupied by the troops. The militants appeared to be hiding in the adjoining agriculture fields which were quickly taken under cordon. Intermittent firing from the fields continued for the whole night.
On one point of time, it was decided to eliminate the holed up militants with high voltage electric current on the pattern of an operation in Sopore in 2013. However, the idea was shelved when some officers expressed apprehension that such an action during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government could activate human rights groups and the regime could take strong action for deviating from the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP).
Meanwhile, in the forenoon on Tuesday large number of the residents came out of their houses and engaged Police and security forces in pitched battles apparently in an attempt to break the down and provide a safe passage to the militants. Reports said that five persons got injured in stone pelting and tear gas shelling. However, officials maintained that only one civilian sustained injuries besides a personal security officer of SSP Pulwama Tejinder Singh. They said that the Police and security forces observed maximum possible restraint, faced the brunt of the stone pelting and did not withdraw until both the militants were killed.
Finally Army pressed into service an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), equipped with sophisticated surveillance system, that detected the hiding militants effectively. Subsequently, a bunker was used to take the commandos to a vantage position. They targeted and shot dead both the militants.
Sources said that both Showkat and Gulzar had visited the LeT militant Naveed at the organisation's hideout in Khrew forest area before he came down to Kakpora and Kulgam area and finally attacked a BSF convoy near Udhampur on August 5. Naveed was captured alive, though his accomplice Noman died in the terror strike that killed 2 BSF soldiers and left 12 more of them injured.
Both Showkat and Gulzar figured in the category of the top wanted militants of South Kashmir on account of the incidents they were allegedly involved in and booked in different FIRs.
An official spokesman later added that Showkat was also
involved in the grenade attack at Pahoo in which one CRPF man was killed and several others, including a CRPF Inspector, two civilians and a Policeman were injured. He was also responsible for an attack on Tata Sumo stand at Kakapora in which some civilians were injured. He said that Showkat was also involved in an attack at Galander, Pampore, in which two Police personnel and a civilian got killed. He was also booked for the killing of a Head Constable of Railway Police at Puchal as also in terrorising panches and sarpanches.
Gulzar had allegedly indoctrinated and recruited a big number of the local cadres for LeT. He stood booked in some FIRs for snatching away weapons from Police and paramilitary personnel. The official spokesman claimed that Gulzar was also very close to LeT's Divisional Commander Qasim, a Pakistani militant.
END
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