Anantnag: A militant, wounded critically in a gunfight with government forces, was apprehended and taken to the hospital by forces in Sangam area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Thursday.
The apprehended militant has been identified as Zaheer Abbas Lone, a resident of Inder village in Pulwama district. He signed as a militant about a month ago.
On December 11, Lone’s wife, Rozy Jan, died of a cardiac arrest soon after she was rushed to a hospital after complaining of chest pain. The couple has two children, a 12-year-old son and a daughter who is 18.
He was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and had announced it through social media only a month ago. “His brother was also a militant and was killed in a gunfight during ‘90s,” a police source told Kashmir Reader.
The gunfight on Thursday took place in Gundbaba Khaleel village in Sangam area on the peripheries of Anantnag and Pulwama districts.
A police spokesperson said a checkpoint was established at Sangam Naina road near Gund Baba Khaleel area of district Anantnag and two suspected persons riding a motorcycle were signalled to stop.
“However, the pillion rider fired upon the joint party in order to escape from the spot. The fire was retaliated leading to a brief encounter in which an active militant got injured while the motorcyclist managed to escape from the spot,” police said.
A senior police officer said they had prior inputs about the presence of militants in the area and accordingly the cordon was launched. After the exchange of fire, guns fell silent.
“While the area was being combed, the militant was found in an injured condition but alive and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital,” the official said.
Injured Lone was soon referred to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar and remains in a critical condition. “He has bullet wounds in his back and his condition remains critical,” a health official told Kashmir Reader.
Meanwhile, the operation was concluded after the entire area was combed.

Suhail A Shah