Two LeTmilitants killed in Pulwama

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 30

A day ahead of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit, two militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, including one suspected to be a Pakistani fidayeen, were killed in a gunfight in Pulwama district.

The Lashkar was behind the recent Pampore attack which left eight CRPF men dead and 22 injured. The police said one of the slain militants — Abu Ayan — was a part of the LeT’s fidayeen group.

“The slain Pakistani militant, Abu Ayan, was a member of the group that carried out the Pampore attack. Though he was not involved in the attack, he had infiltrated along with two members of the group that were involved in the ambush on a CRPF bus in Pampore. We had intelligence input that he was also planning a fidayeen attack,” said Pulwama SPRayees Mohammad Bhat.

The other slain militant has been identified as Manzoor Ahmed of Gandibagh Kakapora, Pulwama.

As the gunfight was underway, locals tried to march towards the encounter site which was not allowed by the police. Clashes erupted in the villages, leaving protesters and policemen injured.

Meanwhile, the security forces today claimed to have arrested two Hizbul Mujahideen over-ground workers from Sopore. They have been identified as Showkat Ahmed Bhat and Tanveer Ahmed Dar. “Both were close associates of top Hizb commander Sameer Ahmad Wani, killed in Kupwara on Tuesday,” the police said.

SIM cards recovered from PoK driver 

Poonch: Security forces recovered a mobile phone along with two SIM cards of Pakistan’s telecom companies from a driver from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at Chakan da Bagh in Poonch on Thursday.  Sources said the mobile phone and SIM cards were recovered during frisking of Pakistani drivers at the Immigration Centre at the LoC. The driver has been identified as Mohammad Saleem from  Hajira tehsil in PoK. — TNS