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SRINAGAR/JAMMU: A day after five Army personnel died fighting terrorist infiltrators in Jammu’s Poonch, security forces gunned down as many members of the Pakistan-backed TRF in an operation in south Kashmir’s Shopian to bust hideouts of the outfit behind the seven civilian killings in the span of a week. One of the five slain terrorists was identified as the killer of migrant food vendor Virendra Paswan in Srinagar on October 5.
While the terrorists who killed a JCO and four soldiers in Poonch on Monday appeared to have escaped the Army’s dragnet, the overnight operation in Shopian marked the second consecutive counter-terrorism success in the Valley in as many days following the killing of two TRF terrorists in separate encounters in Bandipora and Anantnag. One of them was linked to a recent civilian killing in Bandipora.
“At about 6pm Monday, acting on specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in Tulran and Feeripora villages of Shopian, a joint team of the police, the Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation in these areas,” a police spokesperson said. “The terrorists were given repeated opportunities to surrender. Instead, they fired indiscriminately, forcing our team to retaliate.”
The operation in Tulran continued overnight, although there was no firing from either side for some hours until dawn broke. “In the morning, announcements were made again to get the terrorists holed up in the buildings to surrender. They responded by opening fire again,” the spokesperson said.
IGP (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar identified the three terrorists killed in the Tulran hideout as Danish Hussain Dar of Shopian, Yawar Hussain Naikoo of Pahlipora and Mukhtar Ahmed Shah of Sindbal Ganderbal. Mukhtar had carried out the attack on migrant vendor Paswan, he said.
The two terrorists killed in the other gunfight at Feeripora village were Ubaid Ahmad Dar of Ray Kapren and Khubaib Ahmad Nengroo of Braripora. Both were TRF members working under the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s command.
IGP Kumar said the police, Arny and CRPF had been working with “great synergy and coordination on the ground to carry out counter-terrorism operations in a professional manner without collateral damage”.
In Jammu, security forces continued scouring a forested area connecting the twin frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch for the terrorists involved in the killing of a junior commissioned officer and four soldiers despite indications that they may have fled deeper into the jungle terrain.
“After the initial encounter at Charmer village of Surankote, the terrorists fled to nearby Bhangai village of Rajouri, leading to another encounter,” an official said. “The exchange of gunfire between the two sides stopped after some hours, suggesting that the terrorists escaped.”
The entire forest belt in the Rajouri-Poonch axis has since been cordoned off and a search operation was underway till late on Tuesday. Senior police and Army officers have reached the area to oversee the operation, the official said.
While the terrorists who killed a JCO and four soldiers in Poonch on Monday appeared to have escaped the Army’s dragnet, the overnight operation in Shopian marked the second consecutive counter-terrorism success in the Valley in as many days following the killing of two TRF terrorists in separate encounters in Bandipora and Anantnag. One of them was linked to a recent civilian killing in Bandipora.
“At about 6pm Monday, acting on specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in Tulran and Feeripora villages of Shopian, a joint team of the police, the Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation in these areas,” a police spokesperson said. “The terrorists were given repeated opportunities to surrender. Instead, they fired indiscriminately, forcing our team to retaliate.”
The operation in Tulran continued overnight, although there was no firing from either side for some hours until dawn broke. “In the morning, announcements were made again to get the terrorists holed up in the buildings to surrender. They responded by opening fire again,” the spokesperson said.
IGP (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar identified the three terrorists killed in the Tulran hideout as Danish Hussain Dar of Shopian, Yawar Hussain Naikoo of Pahlipora and Mukhtar Ahmed Shah of Sindbal Ganderbal. Mukhtar had carried out the attack on migrant vendor Paswan, he said.
The two terrorists killed in the other gunfight at Feeripora village were Ubaid Ahmad Dar of Ray Kapren and Khubaib Ahmad Nengroo of Braripora. Both were TRF members working under the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s command.
IGP Kumar said the police, Arny and CRPF had been working with “great synergy and coordination on the ground to carry out counter-terrorism operations in a professional manner without collateral damage”.
In Jammu, security forces continued scouring a forested area connecting the twin frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch for the terrorists involved in the killing of a junior commissioned officer and four soldiers despite indications that they may have fled deeper into the jungle terrain.
“After the initial encounter at Charmer village of Surankote, the terrorists fled to nearby Bhangai village of Rajouri, leading to another encounter,” an official said. “The exchange of gunfire between the two sides stopped after some hours, suggesting that the terrorists escaped.”
The entire forest belt in the Rajouri-Poonch axis has since been cordoned off and a search operation was underway till late on Tuesday. Senior police and Army officers have reached the area to oversee the operation, the official said.
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