Slain identified as Locals from Awantipore, Search Ops continue, it was a clean operation, says Police,
Nasir Azam
Awantipore, Oct 08 (KNO): Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Kaiwan village of Awantipore in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. This was the first encounter in South Kashmir post August 5, when Centre scrapped article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories (UTs).
A senior police officer told wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that acting on a specific tip- off, joint teams of police and army laid a siege at Kaiwan village in Awantipore. “When the house was zeroed in where militants were hiding, the forces’ party resorted to heavy firing on the security forces triggering off a fierce encounter,” he said, wishing not to be named. “In the ensuing encounter, a militant was killed in the initial assault.”
He said that the search operation was on in the area to ensure presence of no other militant in the area or the house.
According to the tweet uploaded by the Kashmir Zone police, the slain militants were identified as a locals namely Ufaid Lone alias Abu Muslim and Abbas Bhat.
“He was affiliated with the Lashkar outfit,” the tweet read. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the slain militant. In yet another tweet by Awantipore police, “One more militant was killed. He has been identified as Abbas Bhat of Kaiwan, Awantipore whereas “Arms, ammunition recovered.”
Pertinently, Kashmir witnessed three major encounters so far after the Article 370 was revoked on August 5 and of the three gunfights, two took place in Baramulla district while third one was witnessed in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Today’s gunfight at southern Pulwama district was first after August 5 in South Kashmir.
Meanwhile, thousands of people started marching towards the residences of slain militants to participate in their funeral. However, till 6 pm, the bodies of slain were not handed over to family members.
