Three militants, teenager killed in Valley gunbattles
2 LeT men gunned down, boy killed by stray bullet
Three militants and a 15-year-old boy were killed on Thursday in two separate gunfights between security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Two Lashkar men were killed in south Kashmir’s Pulwama that again saw protesters throwing stones at troops, the police said.
Teenager Amir Nazir, who sneaked close to the site of the gunfight, died when he was hit by a stray bullet, state police chief SP Vaid said. Death of another youth in the area fuelled rumours that he was killed during protests but police denied it, saying the man died of a cardiac arrest.
A militant, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, was killed during a search operation in Malangaam area of Bandipore in north Kashmir. The gun battle in Padgampora of Pulwama broke out after security forces launched a search operation at around 2.30am after they were told about militants hiding in the village, a police official said.
Holed up in two adjacent houses, the militants opened fire and the joint team of the army and police retaliated, triggering a fierce gun battle that carried on for more than nine hours. It ended with the death of the two gunmen. Sources identified them as Jehangir Ganai and Shafi Sher Gujri, residents of nearby Queil who were members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Ganai was reportedly killed in the early hours of the firing. Security forces called Gujri’s wife to the site to get him to surrender but her pleas failed to yield results.
Scores of people were present when Nazir’s body was handed over to his family in Begambagh, which is a few kilometers from Padgampora. Eyewitnesses said he had a bullet injury to his neck. Train services from Banihal to Srinagar have been suspended temporarily as authorities fear that miscreants might target the trains in south Kashmir.
Army’s director general of military operations (DGMO) Lt Gen AK Bhatia spoke to his Pakistani counterpart and conveyed India’s concerns over movement of terrorists along the line of control in the border state.
“The DGMO spoke to the Pakistan army DGMO this morning. He expressed concern regarding the movement of terrorists noticed along the line of control (LoC),” army sources said. Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir next week and review the security situation in the state. The visit bears significance as Election Commission has announced by-election to Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies where polling will be held on April 9 and 12 respectively.