More troops rushed as Lolab operation enters 6th day

Fayaz Bukhari

An Army soldier takes position along with a Light Machine Gun (LMG) near the encounter site at Lolab on Thursday. -Excelsior/Aabid Nabi

SRINAGAR, Oct 17: The massive operation in North Kashmir’s Lolab forests entered sixth day today after security forces achieved a success yesterday by killing a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant.
The operation entered sixth day today and more troops were rushed to the forest area after security forces got foot prints of more militants whom they have encircled in the forest area during the operation.
Yesterday security forces achieved first success of the massive operation when they killed a militant, Atiqur Rehman alias Khan Baba, in an encounter at Anderbough, Dever in Kupwara forests and recovered an AK-47 rifle from the encounter site. He was part of four member group.
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.
Sources said that the operation may continue as the security want to take on these militants in the forests only and prevent them from entering the hinterland.