Militants identified: IGP Kashmir

Srinagar: A policeman was killed, after getting seriously injured, in a brief shootout between government forces and militants here in the Soura area of Srinagar city, police said.
The slain policeman has been identified as Amir Hussain Lone, a resident of the Kupwara district in North Kashmir. “He was a Sgt. Constable and was just 30 years old,” a senior police official from Srinagar said.
“We pay rich tributes to the martyr and stand with his family at this critical juncture,” Inspector General of Police, Vijay Kumar, has said.
The incident took place at about 2:00 PM in the Zoonimar area of Soura in Srinagar. “There was a brief shootout between militants and policemen, wherein the cop sustained critical bullet wounds,” the police official said.
Police said that on a specific input regarding movement of militants in a vehicle around Soura area, a covert team of Srinagar police was following them.
“The militants boarding the vehicle however fired indiscriminately upon the said team,” it said, and added that the fire was effectively retaliated leading to a brief shootout.
He said that Lone had bullet wounds in his upper body, including his neck. “He was rushed to SKIMS, where doctors tried their best to save him but could not,” the official said.
Doctors at SKIMS had initially declared Lone brought dead but managed to revive him for a few minutes before he finally succumbed to his injuries. Following the incident, a huge contingent of forces reached Zoonimar and a hunt was launched to try and track down the militants.
“We believe one of the militants was also injured in the shootout. They have escaped for now, but will be tracked down,” a police source told Kashmir Reader.
There has been a significant increase in violence, here in the Kashmir valley, this month. Even as the anti-militancy operations have been scaled up and many militants have been killed, the militants too have been striking with targeted attacks.
At least two non-locals have been injured in the past week in the Pulwama district of South Kashmir, while a civilian succumbed after being shot at on Monday, inside his home in Budgam district of central Kashmir.
Two Panchayat members and a CRPF man have also been killed in different incidents this month.
Talking to the reporters on the sidelines of the wreath laying ceremony, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that the involved militants have been identified as militant commander Basit, Rehan and another militant affiliated with LeT.
He further said that 11 militants have been killed and almost a dozen have been arrested this month.

Suhail A Shah