Cop martyred in militant attack
Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, May 13: Security forces today killed two freshly infiltrated militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Bandipora district of North Kashmir who they said were involved in the killing of Kashmir Pandit employee Rahul Bhat in Budgam yesterday.
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A police spokesman said here that police and 13 RR of Army neutralized two recently infiltrated foreign militants of LeT in an operation at Brar Aragam area of Bandipora today. “The duo had escaped from recent operation at Salender forest area of Bandipora,” it said.
The spokesman said that they were tracking a local LeT militant Lateef Rather alias Osama who was involved in militant attacks in Srinagar and Budgam for the last two months. “A week ago the movement of Lateef Rather was confirmed in Salindar area of Bandipora where he had gone to receive a fresh infiltrated group of militants of LeT outfit”, the spokesman said.
The movement of these militants was zeroed and shared with the Bandipora police and accordingly an operation was launched on May 11 resulting in elimination of a local militant Gulzar Ahmed Ganaie of district Baramulla.
While as the other two militants managed to escape from the said encounter site, police said a team kept following their footprints, whose presence was confirmed technically in Chadoora area of Budgam, where Kashmir Pandit employee was killed.
“Thereafter their footprints were again confirmed in Brar, Aragam area of Bandipora today. Accordingly, the information was shared with the police at Bandipora and operation was launched by them along with 13RR resulting into elimination of two foreign militants of LeT outfit identified as Faisal alias Sikander alias Mohsin alias Ukasha, resident of Pakistan”, the spokesman said adding the hunt for Lateef Rather alias Osama is on.
“Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.”
In the meantime, a police constable on leave was martyred today in a militant attack in Gudoora area of Pulwama.
A senior police officer said that militants this morning fired at a constable Riyaz Ahmad Thoker son of Ali Mohammad Thoker from Gudoora outside his residence.
He was critically injured in the attack and was rushed to district hospital Pulwama for treatment where from he was shifted to 92 base hospital Srinagar. He succumbed to his injuries at 92 base hospital, Srinagar.
Meanwhile, a wreath laying ceremony was held at District Police Lines Pulwama.
Civil and Police Officers including DIG SKR Anantnag Abdul Jabbar, DC Pulwama Baseerul Haq Choudhary, SSP Anantnag Ashish Mishra, SSP Pulwama Ghulam Jeelani Wani, Commanding Officer of 55 RR of Army, Commanding Officer of CRPF 182/183 Batallion and other civil and police officials participated in the ceremony and laid floral wreaths on the mortal remains and paid rich tributes to the martyred for his sacrifice in the line of duty.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of wreath laying ceremony, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police South Kashmir range Abdul Jabbar said that this is “cowardice act as militants always look for soft targets and security personnel on leave.”
“Riyaz was on leave and waiting for his child’s school bus when two unidentified bike-borne men opened fire on him and he died,” he said.
“We have set investigation into motion soon after the attack and have got some leads. Very soon resolute action will be taken against all those people who are behind this act,” he added.
He said that as police are on forefront against militancy and sometimes “we loose our men as well but our actions will continue to end militancy in J&K to bring peace.”
“We are working to take graph of militancy down and such incidents won’t impact our resolution and fight against militancy,” he said.
On Amarnath yatra arrangements, he said that arrangements in this regard are in full pace. “We are ready for it and security challenges are always for yatra, however, we are confident that yatra will go without any untoward incident and all steps are being taken to ensure hassle free pilgrimage”.
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