M A I N   N E W S

2 militants, soldier killed in Kashmir gun battle
Tribune News Service

Major offensive One militant, who was part of an infiltrating group that was intercepted on Friday night, and a soldier were killed in Tangdhar near the LoC Another militant was shot dead in the dense Hafruda forest near Handwara area of Kupwara where a major operation is under way for the past six days

Srinagar, August 3
Two militants and a soldier were killed in fresh fighting near the Line of Control (LoC) as a major counter-infiltration operation launched by the Army -- in which 14 militants have been killed so far -- entered its sixth day in north Kashmir’s dense jungles.

The two militants were killed in separate operations in Kupwara district, 120 km north-west of Srinagar.

One militant, who was part of an infiltrating group that was intercepted last night, and a soldier were killed in Tangdhar near the LoC overnight, an Army official told The Tribune.

He is the second militant who has been killed since Thursday night while attempting to infiltrate through Tangdhar, a mountainous region in Kupwara which has rarely recorded any infiltration in recent years.

The Army official said the two militants killed in the foiled infiltration attempt through Tangdhar were associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba. Their bodies and weapons have been recovered.

Another militant killed in the past 24 hours was shot dead in the dense Hafruda forest near Handwara area of Kupwara where a major operation is under way for the past six days.

He was the sixth militant killed in Hafruda forest where the military operation was launched on July 29.

The official said the six militants are believed to have recently infiltrated into Kashmir and were also associated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba. In an unusual spike in violence, which coincides with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, 14 militants have been killed since Monday when hundreds of soldiers swooped down on the mountainous belts of Kupwara searching for militants and their hideouts.

While two militants are believed to have been killed in a failed infiltration bid through Keran sector on July 29, four others were killed on July 30 in Machil sector.

The Army official said four bodies of Jaish-e-Mohammad militants and six assault rifles have been recovered from the scene of the fight in Machil.

The Army is also continuing an operation in Lolab forests of Kupwara where they are searching for Qari Osama, a commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad who is believed to have succeeded Qari Yasir as the chief operational commander of the outfit. Qari Yasir was killed last month.

The Army official said there has been no contact with the militants in Lolab forest so far but a few “administrative stores” have been located and destroyed.

Over 130 militants are believed to be operating in the Kashmir region which is one of their lowest figures in the past two decades.