Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Feb 21: Two Pakistani militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed by security forces in a fierce gun battle in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district today.
DIG North Kashmir, Gareeb Dass told Excelsior that two LeT militants were killed in a fierce gun battle that lasted for about an hour early today.
Dass said that the security forces were tracking these militants for last few days and early in the morning they cordoned Thakgund village in Rafiabad area after they got information about their presence in a house.
The DIG said a joint operation was launched by police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and after cordoning off the village, the militants were asked to surrender. He said that since the area is populated, people were given two hours time to shift to safer places before the militants were challenged at around 10.30 a.m.
The Police officer said that both the militants – Abu Saad and Abu Noaman of LeT and hailing from Pakistan- were killed in the gun battle that lasted for an hour. He said that arms and ammunition including 2 AK-47 rifles, 7 AK-47 magazines, one GPS, one radio set, two pouchs, one radio set antenna, one watch and a compass were recovered from the encounter site. He said that there was no collateral damage and the operation was a neat and clean one.
Dass said that the duo was part of group of eight militants who had infiltrated in September 2013. “Two of their associates were killed during an encounter in Saidpora area of Sopore in the month of January this year”, he added.
“The duo was active in Lolab, Sogam, Kralgund, Wavoora, Sahipora areas of district Kupwara and Dooru, Watergam, Saidpora, Arampora, Maharjpora, Thakgund and Mundji areas of Sopore”, the DIG said.
Dass said that they were involved in several militancy related incidents including IED blast near Watergam in which one Army personnel was injured during attack on Army convoy in Drugmulla area of Kupwara last year. “They were also involved in grenade lobbing during Parliamentary elections and IED blast on Baramulla-Kupwara highway last year”, he added.
The DIG said that they were planning to re-activate LeT base in Sopore and step up their activities in Sopore and its adjoining areas.
In the meantime, a Defence spokesman said here today that based on hard intelligence of the presence of heavily armed foreign militants in village Thakgund in Sopore, Army launched a surgical operation in the early hours of the morning today, resulting in the elimination of two hardcore militants.
“Based on hard intelligence about the presence of foreign terrorists in a hideout in the built up area of village Thakgund of Rafiabad area in Sopore, an operation was launched by the Rashtriya Rifles unit of Army and the village was effectively cordoned in the early hours today”, the spokesman said.
The spokesman said: “While the cordon was being readjusted around the suspected house, Army troops received heavy automatic fire. A heavy firefight ensued. By precise firing and without causing any collateral damage, the Army troops neutralized the two foreign terrorists.”
Follow our WhatsApp channel