Srinagar, July 23: Police Saturday claimed to have killed two Lashker-e-Toiba militants in north Kashmir’s Handwara area in an encounter.
SP Handwara, Muhammad Aslam said following an intelligence input about the presence of militants, police along with 21 RR laid siege of Bakhi-Hakhar area of Handwara Friday evening.
“We waited for the morning as it was too late to conduct an operation,” Aslam said. “The two militants were hiding in storage house belonging to a local resident, Muhammad Shafi Mir. As the morning broke, the search parties were fired upon by the militants. The fire was returned, triggering an encounter.”
He said the gunfight lasted for four hours.
“Two militants were killed during the fight. Both of them are foreigners,” Aslam said. “Their identity is yet to be established. Search for the body of third militant is continuing which is believed to be under the debris.”
Another police official involved in the encounter said the militants were followed till they entered into a storage house.
“During the firefight, the storage house constructed of wood was completely razed to ground,” official said. “That is the reason the two militants couldn’t be identified. Their bodies are completely charred.”
The police said they recovered two AK 47 Rifles, 7 AK magazines and some rounds from the encounter site.
Sources said these militants had recently entered the Valley in small groups and troops have been on the lookout for these groups over the last month.
Two persons identified as Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, 21 years, and Babar Khan, 20 years, both residents of Markote-Dangiwacha, died while fiddling with an explosive object in the forest area of Behak Nardargi falling under the jurisdiction of police station Dangiwacha, Sopore, police said. The incident happened this afternoon. Police said no encounter has taken place at the place of the incident earlier. Police has registered a case and further investigations are on.
General Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Muhammad Dilawar Mir demanded a judicial probe into the incident. “No encounter has ever taken place in the area till date so how is it possible that shell would have been left over there,” Mir told Greater Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST