Heavy firing still on in Kupwara; militant from Pantha Chowk in Srinagar among two slain in Kulgam

Anantnag: Four militants, three of them members of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and one of Jaish-e-Muhammad, were killed in two different gunfights on Sunday – one in Kulgam district in south Kashmir and the other in Kupwara district in north Kashmir.
The gunfight in Kupwara was still going on when this report was filed, as the police believe there are two to three more militants holed up in the area.
“Heavy exchange of fire is going on in the area. Two militants have so far been killed, one of them a Pakistani national, while we believe there are two to three other militants holed up in the area,” Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said while talking about the Kupwara gunfight.
The identities of the slain militants were yet to be announced officially by the police.
Kumar said that an anti-militancy operation was launched Sunday afternoon in Lolab area of Kupwara following the disclosure about a hideout by an arrested militant, Showkat Ahmad Sheikh.
“While searches were being carried out in the area, the hiding militants opened indiscriminate fire, which was retaliated triggering a fierce gunfight,” Kumar said, adding that the arrested militant, Sheikh, “also got trapped.”
Kumar said that the operation was going on and further details will be given out as the operation progressed. A local police source told Kashmir Reader that lights have been installed in the area and the searches have been intensified.
In Kulgam district, an operation was launched in D H Pora area, soon after the Kupwara operation was launched.
“We had inputs there was militant presence in Gijjar Pora locality of D H Pora. The area was cordoned off and contact was soon established with the hiding militants,” a senior police official from Kulgam district said.
He said that the militants were given a chance to lay down their arms and surrender, but they did not pay heed and opened indiscriminate fire. “The fire was retaliated and two militants were killed in the ensuing gunfight,” the police officials said.
The slain militants have been identified as Harris Sharief, a resident of Pantha Chowk area on the outskirts of Srinagar city, and Zakir Padder, a resident of Kulgam district.
“Harris was affiliated with the LeT, while Padder was a C-category militant affiliated with the Jaish-e-Muhammad,” the official said, “Bodies have been retrieved, along with arms, ammunition, and some incriminating material from the site of the gunfight,” the official said.
He said that the bodies will be sent to north Kashmir for burial, following the completion of medico-legal formalities.
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.
The year thus far has been one of the bloodiest in the recent past. Well over 100 militants have so far been killed in the first less than six months of 2022.
On the other hand, there have also been targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits, non-locals, policemen, and politically affiliated locals. Over 24 people have been killed in such targeted killings this year so far.

Suhail A Shah