Militant involved in Lt Fayaz’s killing shot

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 2

A militant of the Lashkar-e-Toiba blamed by the police for being part of the group, which abducted and later shot dead Lt Ummer Fayaz in May, was killed in a brief gunfight in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on today.

Lashkar militant Ishfaq Ahmad Padder of Machiwa Yaripora was killed in the gunfight when forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tantraypora Bihibagh, over 80 km from Srinagar.

“This morning we launched an operation in Tantraypora after an input about the presence of militants. As parties were approaching, hiding militants fired at the forces which was returned. In the nearly 20-minute gunfight Ishfaq Padder was killed,” Superintendent of Police, Kulgam, Sreedhar Patil told The Tribune.

He said they had reports that another militant was injured during the gunfight and a search was on to trace him.

Patil said the slain militant was part of the group that abducted and killed Lt Ummer in Shopian.

Lt Ummer was abducted by a group of masked men from uncle’s house in Shopian on May 9 evening during a marriage ceremony. His bullet-riddled body was found the next morning. The police later registered a case under Sections 302 (murder) and 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code. The police had blamed Hizbul Mujahideen for the killing of the young Army officer.

Shopian SP Ambarkar Shriram Dinka said Paddar was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen when Lt Ummer was killed.

“Later, he had joined the Lashkar. Padder was part of the group that abducted Lt Ummer and later killed him,” the SP Shopian said.

Mobile Internet services were suspended in Shopian and Kulgam districts after the killing of the militant.

The militant was killed hours after Lashkar militants ambushed a police bus on Srinagar outskirts, killing a policeman and wounding four others.

Ultra belonged to Lashkar 

• Lashkar militant Ishfaq Ahmad Padder of Machiwa Yaripora was killed in the gunfight when forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tantraypora Bihibagh
• The police said it launched an operation in Tantraypora after an input about  the presence of militants
• Lt Ummer was abducted by a group of masked men from his uncle’s house in Shopian on May 9 evening during a marriage ceremony. His bullet-riddled body was found the next morning