Musa deputy, 2 other militants shot in Valley

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, November 27

An Army man and three militants—one of them deputy to Al-Qaida affiliate Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind (AGH) chief Zakir Musa—were killed in gunfights with security forces in Pulwama and Kulgam districts of south Kashmir today.

AGH deputy chief Shakir Hassan Dar was killed in a gunfight in the Tral area of Pulwama district, while two Lashkar operatives, Aijaz Makroo and Waris Malik, were killed in a gunfight that raged in Redwini Bala village of Kulgam district.

Army man Prakash Yadav was killed in the Kulgam encounter, where two CRPF personnel also sustained minor injuries. “The condition of both of them is stable,” a senior police official told The Tribune. In Redwini Baala of Kulgam, a cordon and search operation was launched around midnight yesterday, following inputs regarding the presence of militants in the area.

“The joint team came under heavy fire from militants in which an Army man was injured, who later succumbed to his injuries,” the police official from Kulgam said. He said the militants tried to sneak out of the cordon, but were restricted to the area, engaged in a gunfight and killed after an exchange of fire that lasted for several hours.

Among the slain militants, Aijaz Makroo was a big catch, according to the police. “He was a close associate of Naveed Jutt, Pakistani chief of the Lashkar. Both of them were involved in terror activities,” the official said.

In Tral, the pursuit of militants began late last evening after a patrol party of the Army came under heavy fire from militants. Several villages, including Reshipora, Pinglish, were cordoned off by security forces soon after the attack. “The contact with the militant, hiding in a house, was established early this morning,” said a police official from Awantipora. Militant Shakir Hassan Dar was neutralised after a couple of hours of fire exchange, he said.

The killing of Dar comes amid reports of AGH footprint in the Punjab region. The police in Punjab had issued an alert after “sighting” AGH chief Zakir Musa in the region.

Bodies of all three militants were handed over to their families later in the day, after medico-legal formalities. Thousands reached the three villages in south Kashmir to be part of the funeral prayers, amid restrictions and Internet clampdown.

Intense clashes were reported in the Redwini and Tral areas during the gunfights. Several persons were reportedly injured in the clashes.

Two gunfights

• Deputy chief of Zakir Musa-led Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind Shakir Hassan Dar was killed in a gunfight in the Tral area of Pulwama district
• Two Lashkar operatives —Aijaz Makroo and Waris Malik — were killed in a gunfight in Redwini Bala village of Kulgam district
• The martyred Army man was identified as Prakash Yadav