Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 19: Security forces eliminated the entire group of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants that they had trapped in North Kashmir’s Sopore area last week while an Army officer and a jawan were injured this morning after the last surviving militant opened fire on the Army from the debris of a house.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Sharifabad based Counter-Insurgency Kilo Force of the Army, Major General Sarat Chand, while sharing details of the operation with the Excelsior said that while the Army was clearing debris of a damaged house last surviving militant who was presumed to be dead opened fire on the Army injuring an Army Major and a jawan. He said that both of them were evacuated to Srinagar for treatment and are out of danger. The sources have identified the Army major as Vijeet.
The GOC said that Army was clearing debris when the militant opened fire. He said that since last night there was no firing and Army presumed that the sixth militant was killed last night only. He said that Army returned the fire in the morning and the house in which he was hiding caught fire and later he was gunned down.
The Army commander said that security forces have recovered six bodies and 7 weapons from the debris of the houses in which these militants were trapped. He said that six weapons belonged to the six killed militants in Saidpora village and one of the militant who was killed in Cherhar forests last week.
The Major General said operation is over and 9 LeT militants were killed in the operation that was launched last week by security forces. He said that 7 are the foreign militants and two were local militants.
The GOC said that security forces had information about the presence of LeT chief of North Kashmir, Fahadullah, in the group but the identity of the foreigners killed in the operation is not known yet.
The General said that it is for the first time that security forces have eliminated the entire group, both the reception party and the launched militants. He described the operation as a big success as huge and entire group of militants that was trapped in the operation was eliminated.
The Army commander said that the group of the militants had recently infiltrated into Kashmir valley and they had donned local dress and trimmed their hair and beard to mingle with the local population. He said that this group was probably being launched for South or Central Kashmir.
The GOC said that a large section of the people are not coming forward with the information about militants and in this case the locals provided information to the security forces which is an encouraging sign.
He said that security forces have to be cautious as there was an impression that militants are moving around in small groups but this operation proved that they are even moving in big groups.
The most successful operation in the recent years was launched on December 12 in Cherhar village of Sopore in North Kashmir by Sopore Police and 22 RR of Kilo Force. Three militants of were neutralized in two separate encounters on December 13 as the group disintegrated after the operation was launched against them. And 6 were killed since yesterday in village Saidpora.
LeT spokesman Dr Abdullah Gaznavi confirmed the killing of LeT group of militants. While quoting the Chief Commander Operations of the LeT for Jammu and Kashmir, Mehmood Shah, he told Excelsior that the militant group engaged the Army for a week and have inflicted heavy casualties on them. The LeT chief commander operations has paid tributes to the killed militants.
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