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| 11 militant 8 soldier killed in Kupwara gun battle | | Kargil-type pre-seasion infiltration of Lashkar militant through Machhil | | AHMED ALI FAYAAZ
SRINAGAR, Mar 23: Army’s four days long operation in the snow-clad a dense forest cover of Shamswari, closed to LoC in Kupwara district has discovered pre-spring infiltration of atleast 25 heavily armed militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba through Karnah and Keran ridges of Machhil sector in Kashmir valley.
With the death of five more militants and 3 more soldiers, today as many as 19 militant and army personnel have died in the last 100 hours of the fear gun battle.
Spokesman at headquarter of Srinagar based 15 Corps - Lt. Col. J.S. Brar, told Early Times that troops eliminated 5 more militants today in the fierce gunbattle at two different places in the sprawling Shamswari jungles. According to him 11 militants had got killed in the operation unprecedented in the last over two years. He revealed that four more soldiers also got killed in today’s exchange of gun fire with the militants. With this 11 militants and eight soldier have died in the gun battle.
Those killed in the operation include 31-year-old Major Mohit Sharma of Para Regiment, who had won laurels including a Sena Medal for gallantry on account of his impressive performance in encounters in insurgency operations. He was a resident of Ghaziabad (U.P.) and his body has been flown to New Delhi for funeral rights and cremation.
Sources said that two of the eight soldiers killed were residents of J&K one each from Kashmir and Jammu. Dead bodies of all the eight soldier are being dispatched for their respective places of residence - one in Ghaziabad (U.P) and two in Himachal Pradesh. They said that funeral of the Kashmiri Para Trooper, Shabir Ahmed Malik would be conducted at a unit sector at Shadipura in Sumbal area of Ganderbal police district tomorrow. Four of the special force soldiers killed in today’s gun battle were identified as Havildar Rakesh Kumar, Naik Anan, Para trooper Manoj Kumar and Para trooper Shabir Ahmed Malik.
Senior army officers strategising and supervising the operation believe that there could be more casualty on Tuesday as troops were still after an unspecified number of the militants targeting troops at several spots to different direction. “We have an advantage that whole area of operation is well outside the populated villages and hamlets but the problem is that it is an a dense forest cover and snow-capped ridges. We are taking utmost care to avoid casualties otherwise well possible out of our own firing” said an official. He believed that 10 to 15 more militants of the group could be still firing or hiding in Shamswari area spread over 200 sq. miles.
Even as the defence spokesman maintained that detail regarding the militants organization, nationality, weapons, logistic, period of presence and movement in the embattled area could be available in the next couple of days informed sources told Early Times that the entire group of twenty five odd Lashkar-e-Toiba militants was believed to have infiltrated into the valley through Machhil sector in the first two weeks of March. They described it as an “unusual phenomenon,” pointing out that the last week of April used to be the beginning of such infiltrations in the past many years. Until 2007, troops had been searing up to counter such infiltrations in the first fortnight of April. However in the wake of disclosure by detained militants and guide like 60 years old Ghulam Hassan Santra of village Mugam Bandipora, army had preponed its optimum preparedness to the third week of March.
“Like in Kargil, militants seemed to have chosen the pre-spring, got two weeks of March for their infiltration this year. However it has not surfaced to be on a massive scale like in Kargil,” said an official. He insisted that troops were not caught. “Completely unaware” as police and intelligence agencies were already in possession of reports of the possible infiltration in the month of March. Some official sources however said that 20 to 30 more militants were believed to have successfully infiltrated through different routes. Though ground and aerial surveillance was under way to track their movement.
Meanwhile, police and security forces today claimed to have eliminated one of the Hizbul-Mujahideen militant who had earlier last year ambushed engineers of Hindustan Construction Company and snatched away of the weapons of their police guards. Informed source said that J&K. Police planned an operation over a specific information available with SOG Kulgam in the morning today.
Sources said that men of SOG Kulgam and SOG Shopian laid siege to Ratnipura. Dangam in Shopian area of South Kashmir. They were soon joined by reinforcement of Chaudhary. Ghont and Nadi Sharan Camp of RR 62 battalion.
Sources said that a local militant of Hizbul Mujahideen namely Sheeraj Ahmed Mantoo son of Ghulam Rasool Mantoo, resident of Pando Shan Shopian was trapped in the operation and killed in four hour long encounter that ended at 1400 hour.
One Insas rifle was recovered from his possession. The rifle was believed to be the one that had been snatched away alongwith one carbine, from the police guard who had been ambushed by militant while escorting a team of HCC engineer in Hirpur area, 25 km from Shopian on under construction Mughal Road last year.
Meanwhile sources in North Kashmir said that an unidentified gunman suspected to be militant barged into the bed room of a PDD official, Manjoor Ahmed son of Habibullah Waja at ward No. 5 Bandipura and fired upon him with a silencer fitted gun. His family member found him dead with three gun shots on his body in the morning today.
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