Srinagar, December 21
A top militant of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was killed in an encounter with the police here today, while three militants of the Al-Fatah surrendered before the police and security officers in Baramula today. The bullet-ridden body of a police constable was recovered in Baramula district and a suspected militant was held from SMHS Hospital here yesterday.
A Pak militant, Shahbaz Ahmad, deputy operational chief of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, was killed in police encounter at Soura on the outskirts of Srinagar today. The encounter ensued when the police launched searches in the locality. The hiding militant while trying to escape fired at the search party that led to the encounter, a police spokesman said. One pistol with few rounds, two handgrenades, two detonators, one satellite phone and some incriminating documents were recovered from the slain militant.
Three militants of the Al-Fatah surrendered before the police and security forces officers at Baramula. They had crossed over to PoK for arms training in 1998 and remained there till 2002, after which they had been active in the valley, the police said. However, a defence spokesman said they had spent about seven years in PoK during which they had been imparted arms training for three months. They had returned to the valley after the recent earthquake and now surrendered before the police and security forces.
Meanwhile, the police recovered the bullet-ridden decomposed body of a police constable, Abdul Qayoom Mir, of Dangiwacha from the nearby area of Hanchannar in Baramula district today.
The police arrested a militant, Abdul Majid, from a hospital.
A Special Police Officer (SPO) was wounded after militants ambushed a police patrol at Kither near Patnazi in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district last night.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Udhampur-Doda) Satvir Gupta said policemen were on routine patrolling at Kither when militants opened fire on them, injuring SPO Kalyan Singh.
