Tral: An encounter through the eyes of a slain militant’s father

Two days ago when six militants were killed in a gunfight at Arampora hamlet of Tral, father of a slain militant Sauliha Muhammad Akhoon recalled how his eyes captured the whole encounter.

“It all started on Saturday morning when government forces entered our house and asked me to approach the militants hiding inside the hideout,” said Sauliha’s father Jan Mohammad Akhoon.

   

The hideout was located barely yards away from Akhoon’s residence.

“They ordered me to go inside the hideout and ask the militants to surrender. I shivered but the barrel of gun on my shoulder forced me to go near the entrance of hideout,” Akhoon recalls.

The announcement was made by him before he fainted and fell on the ground.

The announcement was like: “Your hideout is sealed by forces and there is no scope for your escape. Forces are asking me to inform you to surrender.” 

Following the announcement there was complete lull until, what he recalls, he lost the consciousness. 

“A few army soldiers came towards me and took me to the side. In no time guns start roaring when suddenly a group of militants came out of the hideout and shouted slogans.”

Surrounded by army soldiers and policeman, Akhoon says he was lying flat on the ground when exchange of fire took place between militants and government forces. “Today I feel like if I am living a new life,” he says while receiving the mourners who visit his residence. 

Thousands of people from various villages continue to throng his residence at Arampora here.

“I was shocked when I saw my son Sauliha being killed in front of my eyes. May Almighty accept his martyrdom,” Akhoon smiled and said.

“It all ended in 5-10 minutes before all militants were killed. Some militants were carrying guns while some youth were without any weapon in hands shouting pro-Islam slogans,” he adds.

For 10 minutes the entire Arampora village, Akhoon said, reverberated with Islamic slogans. “Militants were shouting Takbeer Takbeer, Allah u Akbar until they one by one they fell on ground.”

These slogans, he said, pumped up everyone including men, women, children who marched towards the gunfight site but not before all six militants were killed.

Regarding his son Sauliha, Akhoon said on 13 March 2015 his son left home and joined militancy.

“It was Friday and i had gone to office but when I returned home I didn’t find Sauliha. I asked my family about him, they said he embraced everyone and left,” Akhoon says.

When a top police officer was asked why the militant’s father was taken as a hostage during the encounter, he said that he was asked to request militants for surrender following which militants opened fire, triggering the encounter.

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