The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Threat to shoot at ‘unveiled’ women
18 infiltrators killed in Kupwara district
Tribune News Service and PTI

Srinagar, September 13
Toughening its stand to force women in the Kashmir valley to wear burqa, the Lashkar-e-Jabbar (LeJ) today threatened to shoot at women who defied its order from tomorrow.

“From September 14, women without veils would be fired upon”, a local newspaper quoting the outfit said in a front-page news item captioned “Pardah karo ya goli lay lo” (either use veil or face the bullet).

Quoting a tele-statement of the outfit, the paper said it appealed to the Principal of the Women’s College here and other educational institutions to motivate students to wear burqa.

“In today’s time purdah is imperative for Muslim women,” the statement said, adding that the responsibility of the consequences of any attack on unveiled women laid with them (unveiled women).

LeJ made its mark in Kashmir only last month when it launched the burqa campaign by carrying out an acid attack on two women in downtown Srinagar and later went on to set the deadline.

Meanwhile, the Army foiled three major infiltration bids along the Line of Control (LoC), killing at least 18 infiltrators in Kupwara district of North Kashmir since yesterday. Five others, including a top commander of the Harket-ul-Mujahideen, were killed in separate incidents across the valley since yesterday.

A defence spokesman said here 10 infiltrators were killed in the continuing encounter with the Army in the Tangdhar area of Kupwara district. Of these, six militants were killed last night, while four were killed in the encounter that started again this morning.

Till the last reports came in, search operations to flush out militants from forests were going on. The identity of those killed was yet to be ascertained, however, it was believed that most of those killed were foreigners.

In another infiltration bid in the Panzgam area of Kupwara, at least five militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed and a large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered.

The encounter began on Wednesday morning when troops received specific information in this regard.

The operation continued till late in the evening, in which all five militants from Pakistan were killed. Five AK 47 rifles, a rocket launcher, two radio sets, three disposable rocket launchers, two UBGLs and 3,779 AK rounds were seized.

Two infiltrators were killed in the Congdor area along the LoC in Kupwara last night, the spokesman said.

One militant was killed in an encounter with the Army in Nowsheran Nar in Kupwara district today. Details were awaited.

A top commander of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was among two militants killed in an encounter with the joint operations group of the Army and the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir police at Guttigund in the Verinag area of Anantnag district today. He was identified as Mohammad Ashraf Wagay. Two AK rifles and other ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

The driver of a mini bus carrying a patrol party of the security forces near the bus stand at Qazigund, about 70 km from here, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was killed when the militants opened fire on the two buses last night, a police spokesman said.

Four security force jawans were injured. Reports said residents held demonstrations against the alleged custodial killing of the driver.

The militants shot Ghulam Rasool Ahangar at Maidanpora in Sopore town of Baramula district today.

In another incident the militants shot Habibullah Bhat in the Pattan area of Baramula district.

JAMMU: A civilian was killed and three security personnel, including two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), injured in separate militancy-related incidents across Jammu division where the security forces busted a hideout since Wednesday, official sources said.

The sources said the militants entered the house of Wazir Ahmed in Daramorh village of Poonch district last night and kidnapped him. They tortured him before killing him.

The police recovered his body at the Ratna Passian area on the banks of the Suran.

In another incident, the militants fired some grenades on a security camp at the government school, Chatral, in the Mendhar area of Poonch.

Security personnel retaliated and in the cross-firing two JCOs were injured.

Mohammed Aslam working with the ITBP in Kathua district sustained injuries when the militants opened fire at his residence in Choudhary Nar area of Rajouri district.

Two police personnel were injured in an explosion in Doda district of Jammu division on Wednesday evening, a police spokesman said.

Ultras avoid direct encounters in valley
Their bases close to main roads come in handy
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 13
“Do not travel during early mornings on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.” “Avoid driving in the wee hours or late evenings on any road that links Jammu with Poonch, Rajouri or Doda or on the routes linking Srinagar city with district headquarters.”

These are the usual instructions given by parents to their wards because the marked increase in the IED and mine blasts in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir has made driving in the early hours unsafe. Even the convoys of the security forces are not allowed to move on the main road and highways unless road opening parties had sanitised these highways and main arteries against IEDs and mines.

During the past 10 days Srinagar, Kupwara, Baramula, Anantnag district in the Kashmir valley and Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Doda districts in Jammu province witnessed over 45 IED and mine explosions in which over 25 security personnel, 10 civilians were killed and 30 others wounded. Among the killed were three school children.

Senior police functionaries said of late militants had tried to avoid coming in direct contact with the security forces and hence were seen banking on IED and mine explosions to draw blood. They said whether it be Sopore, Srinagar or Anantnag or upper reaches of Udhampur and Kupwara districts militants had succeeded in attacking convoys or camps of security forces by planting IEDs mines or by hurling grenades.

It was only in Qazigun yesterday that the militants opened fire on a private vehicle killing the driver and injuring several Army men.

They said since the militants had established their bases and hideouts all over the state, including in areas that lie close to the national highway and other main roads, they had been closely watching the road opening exercise in the morning. Once the exercise was over the militants would plant the high grade explosives to damage the security vehicles.

This is what happened at a couple of places on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in recent days. It had also happened when at three places in the upper reaches of Udhampur district and near Banihal more than 15 security personnel were killed in IED explosions.

According to the police functionaries, there has been no visible signs of any let-up in militant strikes since terrorist strikes in America on Tuesday. They said during these three days militants carried out their strikes in which more than four security personnel were killed, 15 Army men wounded, seven civilians killed and more than 10 wounded.

Informed sources said militants had not received any instruction from across the border suggesting them to lie low till the dust over the terrorist strikes in America settled. The Pak agencies engaged in funding and encouraging terrorist strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, did not seem to be prepared to call it a day in Kashmir which would be construed as a surrender before the American threat of fighting terrorism in the world, they added.

A senior police officer said, “It is too early to expect any positive impact of the American declaration of fighting terrorism.” He said, “If the USA wants to end the menace of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir it has to issue a direct and clear cut warning to Islamabad and set a deadline for withdrawing all mercenaries from the state.”

However, a senior Congress leader, Mr Raman Bhalla, said, “instead of waiting for the US support the Indian security forces should launch a massive operation all across the state and smash hideouts of the militants. “He said the LoC and the International Border have to be given top priority as far as strengthening patrolling was concerned so that the rate of infiltration was reduced to a trickle,” he added.