Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR Dec 18:In a major success against the Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT) militant outfit security forces today killed six militants in Sopore area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district taking the number of militants killed in a week long operation to 9.
The encounter that began early today after Sopore Police and 22 RR of counter-insurgency Kilo Force were tracking them for past one week since part of the group was eliminated on December 13 in Cherhar and Bomai in Sopore area of North Kashmir.
SP Sopore, Imtiaz Hussain, told Excelsior that killed militants in the encounter that is still going on, include a local militant who had carried out an attack on an Army patrol in South Kashmir township of Pampore in July this year.
He said that the group was being tracked by the Police and Army for past one week. He added that it was part of the operation that was launched on December 12 in Cherhar village in Sopore area of North Kashmir.
Imtiaz said that the group was operating in Kupwara and had crossed to Sopore area to replenish and augment militant ranks for the LeT in the area.
The SP said that police and Army launched the operation last night after reports of the presence of a group of militants in a house in village Saidapora in Sopore.
“Militants fired on a search party at around 3:30 a.m. In the initial exchange of fire, one militant was killed. So far 5 militants have been killed and we expected one or two still present in the village and operation to eliminate them is going on”, Imtiyaz said.
The SP said that after the initial exchange of fire, the militants took shelter in two houses. Two houses and a cow shed were damaged in the encounter so far and 5 bodies of the militants were recovered.
He said that one militant is a local and other 4 are foreigners. All of them belonged to LeT. The local militant has been identified as Athar Naveed Dar son of Mohammad Yusuf Dar of Bismilla Colony, Model town, Sopore.
Imtiaz said that Dar joined the LeT a year ago in South Kashmir area of Tral. “Dar was working with the South Kashmir divisional commander of LeT, Qasim. He was part of the LeT group that attacked an Army patrol in Pampore town of South Kashmir in July this year, killing an Army jawan and injuring the other”, he added.
The SP Sopore said that Dar had shifted to Sopore area from South Kashmir few months ago and was involved in grenade attacks in Sopore town besides killing a Special Police Officer (SPO), Mushtaq Ahmad, who was acting as security guard of a National Conference worker Irfan Shah in Baramulla on November 20 this year.
SP Imtiaz said that so far 8 militants were killed in the operation that was initially launched in Cherhar village in Sopore area of North Kashmir last week.
The operation was launched on December 12 and three militants were neutralized in Sopore in two separate encounters on December 13.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir, SM Sahai, who visited the spot described the elimination of these militants as a major success in the fight against the militancy in the North Kashmir. He said that it was a recent group that moved from North Kashmir, as LeT was depleted in Sopore.
The Commanding Officer (CO) 22 RR of Army’s Kilo Force, Colonel Bikram Singh, told Excelsior that the operation is on as there is atleast still one militant trapped inside the village.
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