Security forces track militants in Srinagar

Fayaz Bukhari

Srinagar, June 18: A spontaneous shutdown to mourn the civilian and militant killings was observed in South Kashmir areas today amid tense situation but the day passed off peacefully.
Majority of the shops and commercial establishments were closed in Khudwani, Pampore, Qoimoh, Yaripora, Pulwama and few other areas today against the killings of three Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and two civilians during an encounter at Arwani area of Anantnag district.

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A police official said the day passed off peacefully and no incident of stone-pelting occurred anywhere. He said that the situation in rest of the Kashmir also remained peaceful and commercial activities as well as transport resumed in central and northern districts.
In the meanwhile, unidentified robbers looted another Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district during night hours. The police said that unidentified robbers decamped with uncalculated amount of cash from a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM at Zirpora locality of Bijbehara in Anantnag.
“So far, it is not clear how much has been stolen. We are ascertaining that and we have also launched a manhunt to nab the robbers,” said the police, adding that a case has been registered also. The ATM theft incident at Bijbehara is third incident in recent weeks and police have so far failed to crack these cases.
Meanwhile, sources said, security forces are tracking 5 local militants who have returned to Srinagar from South Kashmir. These militants who joined militancy last year but were operating in South Kashmir have been asked by their commanders to return to Srinagar and operate in the city.
Sources said that there were no resident militants in Srinagar till they arrived last month. Their return has made Srinagar a target.
In the meantime, Army’s 46 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 179 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir, Baramulla, cordoned off Binnar area of Baramulla this afternoon after inputs that divisional commander of JeM Khalid Bhai is hiding in the village.
They conducted house to house searches in the village and its surroundings but the JeM commander had left the village before the security forces arrived.

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