Two recently recruited LeT militants killed in Sopore

ibune News Service

Srinagar, December 13

Two recently recruited local Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in a gunfight in north Kashmir’s Sopore sub-district on Thursday, the police said.

The 14-hour-long gunfight erupted at Brath Kalan in Sopore, some 60 km from Srinagar, on Wednesday evening when joint teams of the security forces were conducting a search operation in the area following a “credible intelligence input” regarding the presence of militants in the area.

“As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the terrorists hiding in the area. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists associated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba were neutralised,” a police spokesman said. “A huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including rifles, were recovered from the site of encounter.”

The two slain militants were identified as 22-year-old Owais Ahmad Bhat, alias Abu-Bakar, a resident of Gund-Brath in Sopore, and 23-year-old Tahir Ahmad Dar, alias Abu-Abdullah, of Saidpora in Sopore. A house was partially damaged during the encounter.

According to police records, Owais had joined militant ranks on October 21 and Tahir was recruited into the Lashkar on November 10. Locals said Owais was a final year student of the Bachelor’s course he was pursuing before he went missing.

Intense clashes erupted in various parts of Sopore after the gunfight ended. A large number of people attended the funeral of the slain militants amid “pro-freedom and anti-India” slogans.

This year the security forces have killed the highest number of militants in the last eight years. Union minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir had on Wednesday said 238 militants were killed by the forces in J&K till December 2.