Srinagar: Five Hizbul Mujahideen militants and an Army jawan were among nine persons
killed in Jammu and Kashmir, where a big cache of arms was seized and ultras
attacked the house of a ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader since March 17
night, an official spokesman said.
Four Hizbul militants – Mohammad Ayub Khan, Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar, Ghulam Mohammad
Dar and Mohammad Qasim – were killed in a gunfight with a search party of 21
Rashtriya Rifles in Bakhi Hakar forests in the frontier district of Kupwara on March
18 night, he said.
A jawan, Vinod Kumar, was also killed and two others injured in the encounter that
lasted for several hours, the spokesman said, adding 10 AK assault rifles, 18
magazines and 320 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the slain ultras.
In another encounter in the wee hours March 18, a Hizbul militant identified as
Irshad Akhtar Bhaked of Rajouri was killed during search operations at Katsoo
village in Anantnag. An AK rifle and two magazines were recovered from him.
Body of one Nissar Ahmad Lone was recovered by police from Chakoora in Shopian area
of Pulwama district on March 18. Lone, a former militant, was running a medical shop
and was killed by militants, he said. Body of a youth, Mohammad Akber Lone, was
picked up from Saloora village in Baramulla district.
Militants shot dead one Fayaz Ahmad Lone inside his house at Samboora in Pulwama
district on March 17 night, he said.
Militants lobbed a grenade towards the house of PDP leader Jalal-ud-Din at
Khawajabagh in Baramulla on March 17 night, wounding his brother-in-law Ifthikar
Ahmad Bukhari. A car parked in the compound was damaged.
Security forces recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition from Huran forest
in Ganderbal area on the outskirts of Srinagar, the spokesman said.
Following a tip off on March 17 evening about the likely presence of a cache of arms
in the forest, a joint search party of Rashtriya Rifles and local police carried out
a thorough search, which led to the recovery of an improvised explosive device
(IED), four AK rifles, 10 magazines, 284 rounds of ammunition and a radio set from
an underground hideout, he said.
The IED was destroyed at the scene.
The arms and ammunition were likely to be used in near future to disrupt the peace
and harmony existing in the area, the spokesman added.
PTI
