LeT commander among 2 ultras killed

Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 24

Two militants, including the divisional commander of the Lashkar-e-Toiba group and a foreigner, were killed while a third militant surrendered on Sunday during a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. A civilian was also killed as protests erupted against the killing of militants.

“The militants were killed in Chadderbhan village of Kulgam. They included Shakoor Ahmad, the divisional commander of the Lashkar-e-Toiba,” DGP Shesh Paul Vaid said. The foreign militant has been identified as Haidar.

A defence spokesman said a joint operation was launched by the Army, state police and the CRPF in Kulgam village in which two militants killed. A third militant, identified as Shakir Ahmad, surrendered before the security forces along with his weapon and ammunition. The spokesman said the surrender of the militant is “in pursuance of the policy of giving opportunity to local terrorists to shun the path of violence and resume normal life”.

“The security forces once again motivated a local youth who had recently joined the terrorist cadre to surrender today in Kulgam during a fierce encounter, wherein very heavy volume of fire was brought down on the security forces,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman said that “it is once again reiterated that all local terrorists will be given an opportunity to surrender during (counter-insurgency) operations”.

While the gunfight was on in the village, people from neighbouring villages held protests and attempted to rescue the militants by storming the site of the encounter.

During the subsequent protests that took place in different parts of Kulgam district, one civilian identified as 23-year-old Yawar Ahmad, a resident of Gasipora village, was hit by a bullet. He later succumbed to his injuries, a police official said.

It is the third major gunbattle in the Kashmir valley since the end of the unilateral ceasefire on Sunday last week. In the two earlier encounters, seven militants affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad and ultras of a local unit linked to the Islamic State were killed in south Kashmir’s Tral sub-district and Anantnag district.

Anantnag: Another protester succumbs 

A youth who was critically injured during a protest on Friday in south Kashmir's Anantnag district succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Srinagar, taking the civilian casualty toll in the incident to two, a senior police official said. The youth identified as Shahid Nazir of Anantnag's Sirhama village had suffered a bullet injury during a protest near the site of the gunfight at Khiram village in Anantnag in which six persons, including four militants, were killed.