news details |
|
|
| 'Missing' SPOs join militant ranks, return dead with two militants in 24 hours | | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 7: Two militants and two Special Police Officers (SPOs) who had deserted police ranks and joined militants were killed today in a gunfight that raged between security forces and militants in Lassipora village of South Kashmir's Pulwama district.
Earlier on Thursday, police said that two SPOs identified as Shabir Ahmad of Tujan, Pulwama and Suliman Ahmad of Uthmulla, Shopian decamped with their service rifles. Shabir and Suliman were working as SPOs with Jammu and Kashmir Police and had deserted from District Police Lines on Thursday morning with their service rifles.
A top police officer said that these two SPOs had joined Jaish-e-Muhammad and were killed along with two top militants in Lassipora gunfight. He said that a joint team of Army, CRPF and SOG men surrounded the Panjran, Lassipora village following the inputs about the presence of militants on Thursday evening.
"While the searches were being conducted, the militants hiding in the area fired upon the forces," said the official, adding that the fire was retaliated, leading to an encounter. "For the whole night, the intermittent firing was on and with the first light of the day, four militants were killed."
Besides two SPOs, the other two slain militants were identified as Irfan Ahmad Bhat of Arihal Pulwama and Ashiq Hussain Ganie of Panjran. "All the four slain militants were part of Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit," a police official said.
In a statement issued here, police spokesman said that in the gunfight, two listed militants and two SPOs who had recently deserted the police and became members of JeM were killed. "Many cases were registered against the two slain militants other than SPOs," the police said.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out at the encounter spot, but the security forces resorted to firing of tear gas shells and lathi charge to disperse the protestors. Clashes later spilled over to many areas and according to witnesses intermittent clashes were going on between youth and government forces till evening.
Later, thousands of people reached the native villages of four slain militants to participate in their funeral prayers amid pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans. According to the police records, police spokesman said Ashiq Hussain had a history of 'terror related crimes' and was part of a group involved in planning and executing attacks in the area.
Similarly, Imran Bhat was also involved in several attacks on security establishments in the area, he said. Police added that incriminating materials including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter, adding that all these materials have been taken in the case records for the purpose of investigation and to probe their complicity in other cases.
Meanwhile, police urged people to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials, if any. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
