Top Lashkar militant shot in Kupwara encounter

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 24

A top Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was killed in a gunfight in north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district on Monday.

The police identified the slain militant commander as Pakistani national Abu Saad, who was active in the district for the past three years. 

The gunfight broke out this morning after a joint team of the Special Operations Group of the J&K Police and 18 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion of the Army cordoned off Kawari Lolab, nearly 125 km from Srinagar, last night.

“Today early morning during a search of the area, a militant who was hiding in a house fired on the search party. The militant was given the opportunity to surrender but he fired indiscriminately. During the encounter, one Lashkar commander who was later identified as Abu Saad, alias Shahid, got killed,” said Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Shamsheer Hussain.

Hussain said the operation was meticulously planned and executed to avoid any collateral damage. “The militant was compelled to come out of the house and was shot dead just a few feet away from the house to avoid any damage to the house where he was hiding,” he said.

“The militant commander categorised as “A plus” was involved in instigating and pushing youth of the area into stone-throwing and anti-India protests. He had also let loose terror in the area by continuously terrorising the masses,” he said.

The SSP said arms and ammunition, including an AK rifle, three magazines and a wireless set, were recovered from the encounter site.

The militant’s body was handed over to the local Auqaf committee after a medical examination and he was buried amid “pro-freedom” slogans raised by locals.

During the current unrest that has crippled the Valley, 40 militants — all foreigners — have been killed, mostly in counter-infiltration operations. The unrest hit the counter-insurgency grid and that has helped militants consolidate themselves.

43 joined militancy during Burhan unrest 

According to the police, 210 militants are active in Kashmir. This count includes 43 local youth who took up arms during the unrest following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

Rifle-snatching plot: 4 Hizb workers held 

The J&K Police have arrested four Hizbul Mujahideen overground workers, who were planning to snatch rifles from policemen guarding minority members in south Kashmir. A police spokesman said they had got an input that a group of youth from Awantipore  sub-district were being motivated by Hizb commander Zakir Rashid Bhatto snatch weapons to join militant ranks. “Upon receiving the input, the police arrested one Shakir Ahmad Khan, who during questioning disclosed the plan for snatching weapons. Later, three of his accomplices were also arrested. — TNS