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| ‘3 militants killed in Handwara encounter were Pakistani nationals’ | | | Bashir Assad
Srinagar, Dec 3: Three militants killed in night long Handwara encounter were Pakistani nationals owing allegiance to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit, police sources said today.
A residential house where the militants had taken refuge was damaged in the 15-hour long encounter. Security forces belonging to 21 RR and SOG personnel of J&K Police launched a joint operation on Monday afternoon after receiving information of militants hiding in a forest village in the Handwara region, army spokesman Lt Colonel Nitin Narhar Joshi said. After the two sides exchanged gunfire for hours, three rebels were killed early today, Narhar said.
There were no casualties reported among the troops.
Police have claimed that all the three militants killed in Handwara encounter were non locals and they belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit.
"Three LeT militants killed in the Handwara encounter have been identified as Abu Waqaas ,Qari Nomaan and Ubaid," a police spokesman said adding "all the three were non-locals and were Pakistani nationals." Police further said that the trio was instrumental in receiving fresh recruits from across the border and added two Army men were also injured in the encounter.
The spokesman further said that arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site which included 3 AK 47 rifles and 9 magazines. He said bodies of the slain militants were recovered from the debris of the house which was destroyed in the heavy exchange of gunfire. Inspector General of Police Abdul Gani Mir said that security forces had killed three guerrillas in Shetpora (Rajwar) village in Kupwara district, 135 km from here, where the gunfight started on Monday evening.
Mir said troops of the counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of the state police had surrounded a house in Shetpora village following information about the presence of three guerrillas inside.
"When the security forces challenged the hiding militants, they started indiscriminate firing, triggering an encounter which ended today (Tuesday) morning," Mir said. "Firing exchanges stopped today (Tuesday) morning after which the bodies of the slain militants were recovered," a senior Army officer said.
In an abrupt spurt in militant activities, the unidentified militants yesterday killed an SHO of Police Station Chadoora in Central Kashmir on Monday morning. Three others including two policemen and a shopkeeper were also injured in the shootout. |
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