Six militants killed in 6 gunfights this month

Anantnag: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant was killed in an overnight gunfight with government forces, here in Kulgam district of South Kashmir, the police said, while another unidentified militant was killed in an ongoing gunfight in Pulwama district.
The militant slain in the Kulgam gunfight has been identified as Rasik Ahmad Ganaie, a resident of Shuecz village, near Mohanpora of the Kulgam district.
“He had joined the ranks in late March this year and has been killed a little more than 2 Kilometres from where he lived,” a police official from Kulgam district said.
The militant slain in Pulwama gunfight was yet to be identified, while this report was being filed.
Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar, confirmed the killing of both the militants.“The militant killed in Kulgam has been involved in attacks on security forces and civilian atrocities,” Kumar said.
He said that the gunfight in Pulwama was still going on, while this report was being filed.
The operation in Kulgam was launched at about midnight, on Friday, following specific inputs regarding the presence of militants in Kandipora village of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a police official from the area said.
“Contact was established with the hiding militant less than half an hour after the operation was launched. He was given a chance to suurnder but he refused to lay down his arms,” the official said.
He said that the militant opened fire which was retaliated by the forces and he was subsequently killed, in the wee hours of Saturday morning. “His body has been retrieved and will be sent to North Kashmir for burial after completion of medico-legal formalities,” the official said.
The authorities have refused to hand over bodies of slain militants to their families, citing Covid protocol, since April 2020. The practice of burying militants at undisclosed locations in presence of a few family members has continued ever since. This has prevented people from holding massive funeral prayers for slain militants, wherein tens of thousands of people would normally participate.
Meanwhile, another operation was launched in Drabgam village of Pulwama district, Saturday evening. “There were inputs regarding the presence of militants in the area, following which a cordon and search operation was launched,” a police official from Pulwama said.
He said that the militants were given a chance to surrender but they did not lay down their arms and chose to fire instead.
“The fire was retaliated and one of the militants was killed in the initial gunfight,” the police official said, adding that there might be two other militants holed up in the area.
He said that lights have been installed in the area and it was being thoroughly combed to flush out the militants. “The firing has stopped for now but we have tightened the cordon and searches are going on,”
These two gunfights have taken the gunfight tally of June to six leading to killing of as many militants, two of them Pakistani nationals.
The first one of the encounters took place on June 4 in Dooru area of Anantnag and resulted in the killing of a HIzb “commander”. A Pakistani Jaish militant was killed in Zaloora area of Sopore district in North Kashmir on June 6.
Two gunfights were reported on June 7, one in Kupwara district of North Kashmir wherein a Pakistani and a local militant were killed; and another one in Shopian district where a BVSc student turned militant was killed in the gunfight.
Over 90 militants have been killed in gunfights since January 1 this year, even as targeted attacks have left more than 20 people dead across the Kashmir valley.

Suhail A Shah