Two Al-Badr ultras killed in Shopian

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 18

Two local militants of the Al-Badr were killed and a security man was injured in an early morning gunfight with security forces in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Sunday.

The two militants, identified as Nawaz Ahmad Wagay of Zainapora, Shopian, and Yawar Wani of Batnoor, Pulwama, were killed a day after a 19-year-old Huzaif Ashraf was killed by militants by slitting his throat in the district.

The gunfight triggered around 3.30 am when joint teams of police, Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and 178 Battalion, CRPF, were carrying out a cordon and a search operation in Rebban, Zainapora, some 65 km from Srinagar, after an input about militant presence.

“The hiding militants tried to escape the cordon by firing indiscriminately, but they were engaged and killed in a brief exchange of fire,” a security officer said. He said an AK rifle and a pistol were recovered from the encounter site.

He said one constable of the CRPF was injured when he was hit by a bullet during the gunfight.

“The injured CRPF constable was shifted to Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar,” the officer added.

A police spokesman said both the local Al-Badr militants were involved in a series of attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities in the area. The killing of the two militants triggered a shutdown in Shopian and neighbouring Pulwama district. A large number of people attended the funeral of the two militants. Meanwhile, a militant hideout was busted in Shopian on Sunday. The hideout was busted by a joint team of the police and Army in the Yarwan forest area.

Youth abducted, freed 

 A youth, Sheeraz Ahmad, was abducted by unknown gunmen near his home at Memandar, Shopian, on Sunday morning. Later, he was released by the gunmen. There has been a spate of abductions and killings in the past 72 hours in Shopian. Eight persons have been abducted since Thursday. Of these six have been released, but two, including school student Nadeem Ahmed, have been killed by militants.