Top Lashkar commander, another militant shot dead after 3 security men killed in attack

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 17

Two militants, including a top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Sajad Hyder, were killed in an operation in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district hours after three security men were killed in an attack in the area, officials said

The gunfight broke at Kreeri Baramulla when security forces chased a group of militants who were involved in the attack.

“A terrorist was hit in the retaliatory fire and the group was trailed by sniffer dogs. They had even changed their clothes. When the area where they were hiding was surrounded they opened fire triggering a gunfight. Two attackers have been killed so far and the operation is still on,” a senior security officer said. “One of the slain militants has been identified as Sajad Hyder, a top Lashkar commander, who hails from Sopore area.”

Earlier the day, militants attacked a joint party of police and CRPF at Kreeri area of Baramulla district.

“A Special Police Officer and two CRPF men were wounded in the attack. The three succumbed to the injuries later,” a police officer said

Soon after the attack Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said Lashkar was involved in the attack.

“The attackers who were three in numbers came from an orchards and targeted a joint naka party of police and CRPF,” the IGP told reporters at the site of the shooting this morning.

On Friday, militants had fired indiscriminately on policemen deployed on routine security duty at a lane in Nowgam bypass leaving two cops dead and another injured. Police had blamed Jaish-e-Muhammad militant group for the Nowgam attack.

Meanwhile, a major tragedy was averted in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district when the security forces recovered an improvised explosive device (IED). An official said the IED was planted in Tujan village near a bridge that was detected by the forces Monday morning.