Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 20: Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander and a foreign militant of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed in two separate gun battles in South Kashmir today.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar, told Excelsior that top Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Javed Ahmad Mir alias Javed Salfi son of Mohammad Maqbool of Bulbul, Nowgam in district Anantnag, was killed in an encounter in Qazigund area of Kulgam district and a foreign militant was killed in another encounter in Tral area of South Kashmir.
The DIG said that Police, SOG and Army’s 9 RR on a tip-off cordoned off Shampora village of Qazigund in Kulgam district early this morning. The search party of the security forces was fired by the militant from the house of one Ghulam Ahmad Parray, where he hiding. “The troops returned the fire leading to gun-battle in which the militant was killed”, he added.
“We recovered an AK-47 rifle which he had snatched from a police constable at Janglat Mandi area of Anantnag town last year, one pistol and few grenades and his body from the debris of the house that was damaged in the gun battle”, Kumar said.
A police spokesman said that Javed Ahmad Mir joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 1998 and was arrested in 2003. “Later on his release in 2007 he again joined back the outfit. In the year 2009 he was again arrested but recycled back to militancy and was involved in an attack on a policeman at Janglat Mandi, Anantnag on November 15 last year in which the service weapon was snatched from the policeman after shooting him. A case FIR No 348/2013 stands registered in this regard”, he added.
Earlier Police fired tear smoke shells as hundreds of people protested in the village and were preventing police and Army to search the debris of the house that was damaged in the encounter. Protesters pelted stones at police and Army and raised slogans against them.
And in another gun battle, one unidentified foreign militant was killed in an encounter at Dadsar, Tral in Awantipora area of South Kashmir this evening.
Sources said that 3 RR and Police cordoned off Dadsar village in Tral area after tip off about the presence of 3-4 militants of JeM in a house. Militants fired at the troops and they fired back leading to killing of one JeM militant.
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