Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 19: Army has launched a massive operation in Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara after an Army patrol was attacked by militants early in the morning in which one Army jawan was injured.
Sources said that militants fired at a Road Opening Party (ROP) of Army’s 30 Rashtriya Rifles near Suthergund area of Hanga, Handwara in Kupwara district, resulting in injury to an Army jawan.
The injured jawan was identified as Sepoy Rahul Roa. He received two bullets, one in his hand and other in his back. He was immediately shifted to Army’s 92-base hospital in Srinagar in critical condition.
The ROP is conducting routine searches from Hanga to Nowgam to Kalamchakla between 7 am up to 8 am for smooth passage of the Army convoys. Militants fired at them when they were busy in road clearance.
Soon after the attack, Army and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Police cordoned off the whole area and started searches to nab the militants responsible for the attack.
In the meantime massive operation in North Kashmir’s Lolab forests against a group of heavily armed militants was called off today.
Security forces launched a massive operation on October 12 in Devar, Lolab, Tekipora forest area in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district after they received information about the presence of a large group of around 20 militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Al-Badar in the forests.
These militants are believed to have infiltrated to these forests this summer through Macchil sector and have been cited recently. The security forces had been planning an operation against them and launched it last week on October 12.
Initially 18 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 28 RR of Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched the operation against these militants.
Sources said that they were later joined by 47 RR and now 31 RR and 9 Para Commandos joined them to tighten noose against the militants who are in the forests.
Security forces achieved first success of the massive operation when they killed a militant, Atiqur Rehman alias Khan Baba, four days ago in an encounter at Anderbough, Devar in Kupwara forests and recovered an AK-47 rifle from the encounter site.
Yesterday a search party of troops was fired upon by a group of militants at Dursu area of Lolab forests. Sources said a group of around 6 militants opened fire on troops in the wee hours yesterday. Security forces fired back. However, they fled under the cover of darkness. Security forces cordoned off the entire Dursu area and launched massive operation in the area to trace out the militant group.
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