Injured civilian succumbs to his injuries

Anantnag: Two militants affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed, while a third one surrendered, in an overnight gunfight here in Lalpora area on the outskirts of Pampore town in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The gunfight had erupted soon after two civilians were injured in the initial fire, while the cordon and search operation was being laid out last night. One of the injured civilians, 22-year-old Abid Ahmad Mir, succumbed to his injuries, early Friday morning at a hospital in Srinagar.
Police had said that the civilians were injured in indiscriminate fire initiated by the militants while they were being surrounded.
The slain militants, according to police, were Pakistani nationals. “Their bodies have been sent for medico-legal formalities. They will be sent for burial in North Kashmir later,” a police source told Kashmir Reader.
The militant who surrendered has been identified as Khawar Sultan Bhat alias Jaana, a resident of Drangbal area in Pampore. Bhat had joined militant ranks in September, earlier this year.
“The operation has been concluded,” a senior police official from the area told Kashmir Reader.
The operation was launched late Thursday evening in Lalpora, Meej area following inputs regarding presence of militants in the area. “While we were surrounding the area where militants were suspected to be hiding, the militants opened indiscriminate fire, leaving two civilians injured,” the official said.
He said that the cordon was strengthened and the militants were tracked down to another place and soon contact was established with them. “Lights were installed and the operation continued throughout the night,”
The official said that one of the militants was killed early Friday morning while another one surrendered a little later in the morning, “after hectic persuasion,”
“The third militant did not however relent and started firing afresh in the afternoon. After a brief exchange of fire he was neutralized as well,” the official said, “In the combing operation bodies of the slain militants, along with arms and ammunition were retrieved from the site of the gunfight,” the official said.
He added that the surrendered militant was being questioned.

Suhail A Shah