Four Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind militants were killed in a fire fight with security forces at a village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district Sunday morning. Two among the slain were the new recruits, police said.
A police official told Greater Kashmir that a gunfightbetween the militants and the security forces broke out in the orchards ofPanzer village, some 8 kms north-west of Shopian town.
Giving details, he said the gun battle started a few hoursafter a joint team of the Army, the SOG and the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) personnel, laid a siege around the village and started a rigorous searchoperation at around half past 3 am.
He said the operation was started after the forces receiveda “definite” information about the presence of militants in the area.
“While the search operation was in progress, themilitants hiding in a thick apple orchard fired on the forces”, said theofficial.
He said the fire was immediately returned leading to a gunbattle. “In the initial exchange of firing,”the official said, “two militants died.”
“There was a complete hush for some time which waspierced by another spell of intense firing resulting in the killing of two moremilitants,” he added.
The official identified the slain militants as Suhail AhmadBhat son of Mohammad YousufBhat of WanporaButmuran, Shopian, Rafi Hassan Mirson of Ghulam Hassan of Kralchek Keller Shopian, Showkat Ahmad Mir son ofGhulam Mohammad Mir of ChandporaPulwama and Azad Ahmad Khanday son of AbdulRashid Khanday of BamnuPulwama.
The official said all the four militants were associatedwith the militant outfit AnsarGhazwat-ul-Hind.
Showkat, who joined militancy in June, 2015 had initiallysigned up for HizbulMujahideen, but later switched over toAnsarGhazwat-ul-Hind, the official said.
While Azad had joined militant ranks a few months ago,Suhail and Rafi had taken up arms merely three days ago. “They (Suhail and Rafi) had vanishedfrom their native places on June 15 and their photographs wearing combatfatigues and holding AK-47 rifles went viral on social media platforms on June21,” the official said.
Suhail, according to local residents, had majored inBusiness Administration while Rafi had recently completed his masters. Later in the day, a police spokesperson in astatement said that Showkat was wanted for his “complicity in a series ofcrimes including attacks on security establishment and civilian atrocities.”
He said that many cases were registered against himincluding that of lobbing of a grenade on security forces and attacks oncivilians.
“He was instrumental in the recruitment of Azad Ahmad,Rafi Hassan and Suhail Ahmad who had recently joined the militant fold,”the spokesperson said.
CLASHES
A police official said that when the gunfight was inprogress some young men neared the encounter site and tried to stymie theoperation by hurling rocks on the forces.
The forces, he said, responded by firing tear smoke shellsto scare away the stone-throwing youth.
Authorities also blocked the cellular internet services inthe area as a preventive measure. .