Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 25: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants are believed to be dead in a fierce encounter with the security forces in Central Kashmir district of Budgam this evening.
Sources said that security forces cordoned off several villages in Budgam district of Central Kashmir since morning to nab the two militants who fled from village Ichkote last night after a brief gun battle.
Police, Army and Centre Reserve Police Force personnel cordoned off scores of villages of Budgam and Chadoora areas of the Budgam district in search of the two militants who fled from security cordon last evening.
The security forces conducted searches in Ichgam, Munipapy, Dangarpora, Chitroo, Kargam, Wagam, Kanir and Hushoora villages of Budgam district since morning.
Security forces during searches were fired upon from the house of one Nazir Ahmad in village Hushoora this evening leading to a gun battle. The gun battles continued for several hours and later there was no response from the militants who were holed up in the house.
Security forces believe that both the militants are dead but so far their bodies have not been recovered. Security forces have laid tight cordon around Hushoora village and will search the dead bodies in the morning.
Sources said that one of the dead militants is a Pakistani, Omar and another is a local. However, they say that Omar was not on the security agencies radar so far. “The identity of the militants can be confirmed after the recovery of the dead bodies”, sources added.
Sources said that security forces are firing intermittently for past few hours but there is no response from inside the house. They said half of the house has got damaged and security forces will launch final assault in the morning to ensure that no militant is alive.
It may be mentioned here that last evening security forces cordoned off village Ichkote on a tip off provided by a militant, Latief Ajmad Rather, who was arrested from Srinagar’s old city area of Srinagar yesterday.
Sources said that Latief had informed them about the presence of LeT’s top commander Qasim along with his associates inside the village. But the militants fled away from the cordon and two of them who were trapped in Hushoora village were part of the group that last evening gave slip to security forces in Ichkote.
It may be mentioned here that Hushoora is near the Chadoora where Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Chadoora and a shopkeeper were killed and two others were injured in a militant attack early this month. Security forces believed that LeT was behind the attack.
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