12 militants killed in 5 gunfights in last 4 days
Anantnag: Two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed on Saturday afternoon in a brief gunfight with the government forces in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the police said.
The slain militants have been identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Ganaie, a resident of Chak-Wangund in the Anantnag district, and Yawar Ayub Dar, a resident of Dogripora village in police district Awantipora of Pulwama.
“The two of them were involved in several militancy-related crimes,” Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar, said as he confirmed the killing of the militants.
He said that further searches were being carried out in the area.
The gunfight took place in Sheetipora village of the Dachnipora area in Bijbehara of Anantnag district.
A senior police official from the area said that a cordon and search operation was launched following inputs regarding the presence of militants in the area.
“Contact was soon established with the militants and they were given a chance to lay down their arms. They, however, chose to fire indiscriminately,” the police official said, adding that the fire was retaliated and both the militants were killed in the ensuing gunfight.
He said that the bodies of the militants along with arms, ammunition, and some incriminating material has been retrieved from the site of the gunfight. “The bodies will be sent for a burial to North Kashmir following completion of medico-legal formalities,” the official said.
The authorities have refused to hand over bodies of slain militants to their families, citing Covid protocol, since April 2020. The practice of burying militants at undisclosed locations in presence of a few family members has continued ever since. This has prevented people from holding massive funeral prayers for slain militants, wherein tens of thousands of people would normally participate.
The authorities, meanwhile, snapped mobile internet services in the Bijbehara area and some adjoining areas soon after the first shots were fired in Sheetipora. The services remained suspended while this report was being filed.
Today’s gunfight was the fifth in less than four days in Kashmir valley. Twelve militants – three of JeM, seven of LeT, and two of HM – have been killed in these gunfights.
The first of these gunfights were reported in the Kreeri area of Baramulla, on May 25, resulting in the killing of three Pakistani JeM militants. The very next day a gunfight was reported from the Kupwara district of North Kashmir, where three freshly infiltrated LeT militants were gunned down.
The other two gunfights, resulting in the killing of four local LeT militants, were reported from the Pulwama district of South Kashmir and the Soura area of Srinagar city.
Militants on the other hand have been carrying out attacks as well. A policeman was shot at and killed in the Soura area of Srinagar on May 25 while his 8-year-old daughter was injured in the attack.
Unidentified gunmen also killed a TV actress in Budgam on May 26, while her 10-year-old nephew was injured in the attack.
