Kashmir explodes with violence on first day of Ramadan

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - Seven people were killed and 45 others injured in Indian Kashmir in a bloody start to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which Islamic rebels have vowed will be soaked in violence.

Ramadan began in Kashmir on Tuesday with a warning from hardline Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba that it would increase attacks during the holy month.

"There will be an escalation in the activities of mujahedin (holy warriors) in the month of Ramadan," Abu Huzaifa, the spokesman for the Lashkar-e-Taiba group told the Greater Kashmir newspaper.

The newspaper said: "People should keep themselves away from the security installations as according to him (Huzaifa) they could become the unintended targets of such attacks."

A few hours after Muslims filled mosques for dawn prayers across the restive state, three soldiers were killed and seven injured when an army vehicle in a convoy ran over a landmine in the village of Khilani in the southern Doda district, a police spokesman said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Doda is considered to be a stronghold of Kashmir's largest rebel group, Hizbul Mujahedin.

Earlier Tuesday, at least 38 civilians were injured in a grenade attack by suspected Islamic rebels on police manning Indian Kashmir's main telegraph office in the summer capital Srinagar.

The grenade missed its target and exploded near a billing counter, a police spokesman said.

"Some 38 civilians who had come to pay their telephone bills have been injured," the spokesman said.

The grenade exploded inside the telegraph office, which is adjacent to Kashmir valley's main telephone exchange, smashing window panes and sending people running for cover.

A little-known rebel group, the Kashmir Freedom Forum, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to local news agency Current News Service.

Indian troops shot dead two militants in two separate encounters in the northern Kupwara district overnight, the spokesman said.

"Both the militants were killed during two search operations," the spokesman said, adding arms and ammunition were recovered from the sites of the encounters.

Suspected rebels shot dead two Muslims in the southern Pulwama and northern Baramulla districts overnight and Tuesday, police said.

Muslim militants overnight attacked an army camp with rifle fire and grenades in Mamar village near Kangan township, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Srinagar, police said.

The fresh violence has also come a day after police killed the commander of Hizbul Mujahedin in Srinagar.

The 13-year insurgency has claimed more than 39,500 lives, according to Indian security forces. Separatists and Pakistan put the death toll between 80,000 and 100,000.

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com

Militants strike at highway, travel from Jatwal to Akhnoor breaching 14 nakas
Two ultras, 2 jawans among 6 killed; Major, 8 others injured
Another militant captured alive in injured condition
TATA Sumo driver arrested for suspected terror links

By Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Oct 27: Playing with the security arrangements, three militants in police uniform struck at three places last night from Jatwal to Akhnoor covering a distance of more than 70 kms without meeting any resistance till a TATA Sumo, they were travelling in, was intercepted by an army naka about 100 meters short of Akhnoor bridge. A total of six persons including two army jawans, two civilians and two militants were killed while nine others including five Army personnel, one of them a Major and four civilians were injured in the militant strikes. A suspected harbourer of the militants—a TATA Sumo driver of Ustaad Mohalla has been arrested while a militant was captured by the army in an injured condition. He has been shifted to a Military Hospital under tight security.

Drivers of TATA Indica and TATA Sumo, the two vehicles used by the militants in travelling from Jatwal to Akhnoor, have confirmed presence of three militants, only two of them were killed in the gun-battle with army. Third militant was captured alive after he was injured in the gun-battle but army didn’t disclose his arrest officially. As the operation was completed and army went to pick-up dead bodies of the militant, a grenade (which one of the militants had tied with his body after removing its pin) exploded causing serious injuries to Major Subhramniyam of Engineering Regiment and a jawan.

Army maintained a cordon around Akhnoor bridge till wee hours of this morning after intercepting the militants at 11.55 PM last night. An operation was launched at 5 A.M. today and the militants were finally killed at 2.30 PM. Driver of TATA Sumo, who was also described by the army as a militant, was captured in the mid-night itself. He has been identified as Faisal Javed son of Maqsood Ahmed, a resident of Ustaad Mohalla.

After causing derailment of Shalimar Express, the militants covered a distance of more than 70 kilometers, hijacking two vehicles, killing two civilians and wounding four others on the national highway covering a minimum of 14 permanent police nakas from Jatwal to Akhnoor bridge and were not subjected to checking anywhere. "Tata Sumo driver told interrogators that his vehicle was not stopped for checking anywhere on Jammu-Akhnoor road while Indica driver told police that his vehicle was signaled for a halt at only one naka but the militants told him to ignore the signal. Surprisingly, the naka party didn’t flash a message that an Indica car has violated the signal", reliable sources said, adding "this itself explains the alertness of police stations".

Sources told EXCELSIOR that four militants were pushed into Indian territory by Pakistan army from International Border between Mawa and Madoon in Hiranagar sector on the night of Diwali (October) 25. One of them was shot dead by the troops immediately after his infiltration at Karol Mathran near Bobiya while three others, who had taken a different route, managed to cross safely and reached Jatwal. One revolver and 20 rounds were recovered from the militant killed at Karol, who was identified as Mohd Nihaal son of Mohd Lateef, a resident of Narowal, Pakistan.

The three militants took positions inside bushes under a small culvert in Jatwal where they abandoned their three black uniforms, three plastic shoes, one hand grenade, a small quantity of RDX, six meters wire, empty juice container and dry fruit packets. They used the wire in planting an IED on rail track at Jatwal last night, which they blasted with a remote control device. As reported, the blast derailed engine and five bogies of Shalimar Express. However, there were no casualties in the derailment.

Sources said the uniforms, plastic shoes and other material abandoned by the militants at Jatwal, near the site of last night’s train derailment, were recovered by police this morning. The militants at Jatwal changed their black clothes and wore police uniforms, which they had brought with them from across the border. From rail track, the militants reached Jammu-Pathankot national highway at Jatwal where they hijacked a TATA Indica car No. 8808 DLCA, belonging to Jayant Travels, at about 10.20 PM.

The militants opened firing on the car killing two civilians on spot. They forced driver of the car Vikas Singh son of Nar Singh to drive towards Jammu. Enroute, they shot at and injured three other occupants of the car and threw them out of the vehicle near Samba. At Maheshpura Crossing, the militant fired a shot on the leg of Indica driver and abandoned the car.

Two civilians killed in Indica car have been identified as Deepak Salotra son of Sham Lal R/o Roop Nagar and Tilak Raj son of Babu Ram R/o Batala, Punjab, presently putting up at Krishna Nagar. Injured included Vikas Singh, car driver, Sheetal Singh, Rakesh Kumar and Munish Kumar. Car operator was returning from a marriage function in Billawar. Some of the car occupants had taken lift enroute.

The militants then boarded a TATA Sumo No. 7414 JK05 from KC Crossing, which was being driven by Faisal Javed of Ustaad Mohalla and moved towards Akhnoor According to sources, TATA Sumo might have been deliberately stationed at Maheshpura to carry the militants.

It was only at an Army naka about 100 meters short of Akhnoor bridge that the militants were intercepted at 11.55 PM last night. As an army jawan on duty asked TATA Sumo occupants to show their identity cards, one of the militants fired a burst on him killing him on spot. Soon after the shoot-out, army jawans sounded an alert and the soldiers on duty deflated tyres of Sumo as soon as it crossed the bridge. Petrol tank of the vehicle was also busted but the driver drove the vehicle towards right side of an army installation after crossing the bridge.

The militants as well as Sumo driver managed to come out of the vehicle. While the militants fled towards a hill, the driver rushed back and was arrested by the army personnel at Akhnoor bridge. Police parties led by Addl SP Jammu S R Samuel also rushed to the spot.

Troops laid a siege around Akhnoor bridge in the mid-night and simultaneously subjected TATA Sumo driver to sustained interrogation during which he disclosed presence of three militants in police uniform in his vehicle. With onset of dawn, the troops launched a hunt for the militants, who had taken positions in a small forest area on the hill near GREF quarters.

Exchange of firing between army personnel and the militants continued till 2.30 PM today in which another army jawan was killed and three others were injured. Later, troops pressed a Casper bullet-proof vehicle in the operation and shot dead one of the militants while another ultra, finding himself trapped, blew himself up. The third militant was arrested by the army in an injured condition.

At about 4.30 PM when an army team led by Major Subhramniyam went to pick-up bodies of the slain militants, a grenade tied by a militant with his body exploded causing serious injuries to the Major and a jawan. He has been shifted to Military Hospital in Satwari. Other army jawans, injured during day long gun-battle, have also been hospitalised while bodies of two soldiers, one of them identified as Anil Kumar, have been shifted to an army camp. A cameraman of NDTV, Darshan Singh, also sustained a splinter injury during the encounter. He was discharged from the hospital after first-aid.

Two AK-47 rifles, four used magazines and 140 AK rounds were recovered from the slain militants. Traffic on Jammu-Chhamb road remained disrupted during the day. It was only late in the evening that army authorities cleared Akhnoor bridge for vehicular movement after sanitising the area.

TATA Sumo driver told army and police during his interrogation that his vehicle was hijacked by the militants and he was asked to proceed towards Poonch. However, the army and police sources, maintained that Sumo driver Faisal Javed "had links with the militants". Presently, Faisal was in custody of army but he was expected to be handed over to police shortly.

Sources said it was "contradictory statement" of Faisal which created doubts in the minds of security forces that he might have "connived" with the militants. Faisal said he was approached by the cops (militants in uniform) for driving to Poonch at 9.15 PM last night while the fact was that the militants struck at highway at 10.15 PM and reached Mahespura Crossing only around 11 PM.

"There was a possibility that the militants might have a plan to strike again at an army installation at Tanda, where they had previously struck on July 22 this year killing eight soldiers and wounding top brass of army", the sources said but declined to comment on a "definite plan" of the militants. However, there appeared to be "very remote chances" of the militants attempting to reach Poonch by road since there were a number of army nakas enroute, they added.

Though identity of the slain militants hasn’t been established, there was "enough evidence" to prove that they were Pakistanis. Since one of their associates, who was gunned down by the BSF at Karol Mathran in Hiranagar sector on Diwali night was a Pakistani and all of them had infiltrated from across the border, it appeared that the slain ultras too could be the Pakistanis, the sources said.

Sources admitted that "free movement" of militants first on Jammu-Pathankote highway and then on Jammu-Akhnoor road has "exposed security lapses" on part of police stations and police posts enroute. There were atleast 14 permanent police nakas at Jatwal, Mesar, Mansar Morh, Supwal, Vijaypur, Bari Barahamana, Kunjwani, Digiana Ashram, Satwari Chowk, Convent Crossing, Vikram Chowk, Domana, Jhiri Road and Kanachak. As per version of the two drivers, their vehicles were not stopped for checking anywhere barring one naka. The naka which signaled the vehicle to stop too didn’t bother to flash a message about escape of the car.

According to sources, senior police officers have taken a "serious note" of the police lapses.

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