Posted on 05/10/2002 9:40:43 PM PDT by swarthyguy
UDHAMPUR, May 10: Six terrorists including five Pakistanis and one Afghani and a civilian were killed and another civilian was critically wounded in separate incidents across Doda district over-night.
In a major success, troops of 10 Rashtriya Rifles and police killed three Pakistani terrorists after two hour long encounter at Chowan Galu in Batta village of Dessa area under Doda police station’s jurisdiction this afternoon.
One of the terrorists fell in a deep gorge after being hit by a volley of gun shots and died instantly while two others were killed after giving a tough fight to security personnel for two hours. The encounter that started at 12 noon ended at 1400 hours with the elimination of all three terrorists, SP Doda Vijay Singh Samyal said.
Two slain terrorists, whose bodies have been recovered, were identified as Abu Riwaz son of Mohd Mudassar R/o Jerawala, Faisalabad, Pakistan, Mudsassar Yaqub son of Mohd Yaqub R/o Gujranwalla, Pakistan. Body of third terrorist couldn’t be recovered but he too was stated to be a Pakistani.
Two AK-56 rifles with two magazines and 25 rounds, two grenades, one wireless set and two identity cards, issued by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit were recovered from the possession of two slain terrorists. Army or police didn’t suffer any casualties in the operation, official sources said.
Another successful operation was carried out by army and police at village Tanta in Kishtwar late this evening in which two Pakistani ultras were liquidated. Two other terrorists, however, managed to escape.
Identified as Abu Afran and Abu Ameer, the terrorists were killed in their hideout, which was stormed by the security personnel. The terrorists were killed within 15 minutes of the operation. The hideout was smashed. Recoveries made from the hideout included two AK-56 rifles, three magazines, 60 rounds, one wireless set and two hand grenades.
An Afghan mercenary was shot dead by STF Doda after about 40 minutes operation at village Banjot, about 25 kms from Gandoh in Thathri tehsil this morning. He has been identified as Abu Irfan R/o Khost, Afghanistan.
One AK-47 rifle and three magazines were recovered from him. Slain foreign mercenary was operating in Gandoh for last one and a half year, the sources said.
Meanwhile, unidentified terrorists gunned down a civilian Mohd Yousaf son of Mohd Rehman Sheikh at village Kither in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda last night. Same group of the terrorists later struck in another house of Mohd Iqbal son of Abdul Aziz Sheikh in the same village and fired two shots on him causing him serious injuries.
Mohd Iqbal was shifted to hospital by the neighbours and local police.
Major blow to Jaish, Hizb in Beerwah belt 4 militants killed in Magam
Excelsior Special Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 10: Pan-Islamist Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen suffered major damage in Beerwah-Tangmarg belt of central Kashmir when security forces eliminated four militants of the two organisations, in a fierce gunbattle, at Goigam village near Magam today. Cadres of the two guerrilla outfits are depleting fast in wake of the security forces’ surgical operations in this locality since the death of Hizbul Mujahideen’s dreaded militant, Mustafa Khan, last year.
Senior officials told EXCELSIOR that specific information regarding the presence of four militants— two Pakistani nationals and two local Kashmiris—came in from sources planted in an outfit. Immediately after receiving the tip-off, troops of BSF 194 Bn and Rashtriya Rifles 2nd Bn laid siege to Goigam and Badran villages early this morning. The militants left their hideout and made an attempt to escape. However, they were spotted and engaged in a fierce gunbattle in the open fields. All the four heavily armed militants were killed in the 3-hour-long encounter in which security forces did not suffer any casualty.
The militants killed in the daytime clash were identified as Abdur Rehman Beg alias Chhota Mustafa S/o Sonaullah Beg R/o Goigam, Mehboob-ul-Hassan Lone alias Pervez S/o Ghulam Hassan Lone R/o Badran, Mohammad Abdur Rehman alias Saif Akhtar R/o Bahawalpore Pakistan and Abu Mugaira of PoK. While as the two local militants were described as members of Hizbul Mujahideen, officials claimed that Saif Akhtar and Abu Mugaira belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad. Four AK-56 rifles, one pistol, 12 hand grenades, one UBGL and two UBGL rounds were recovered from the site of encounter.
Reports from Magam said that a Class 8th student, namely Mohammad Ashraf S/o Ghulam Mohammad R/o Badran, sustained injuries in the crossfiring.
Officials described the death of four top-wanted militants as a major damage to the two militant outfits in Beerwah-Magam belt. Earlier this week, two Kashmiri militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were eliminated by security forces at Kandoora, on Beerwah-Arizal road, in the same area. Militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansaar-ul-Islam have been at the receiving end of the security forces’ operations after Mustafa Khan’s death in an encounter at Goigam last year.
With the help of a planted Pakistani militant, namely Abu Saamra of Lashkar-e-Toiba, troops of RR 2nd Bn had eliminated over a dozen of foreign guerrillas and local militants in Magam area last year. Later, Saamra died a mysterious death in a Srinagar locality.
Meanwhile, official sources in south Kashmir said that on a tip-off, troops of RR 19 Bn and SOG Awantipore apprehended three freshly infiltrated militants of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen at Chandhaar village, in Pampore area. They have been identified as Basharat Khaliq Mir S/o retired Naib Tehsildar Abdul Khaliq Mir, Hilal Ahmed Sheikh S/o Ghulam Rasool Sheikh and Javed Ahmed Mir S/o Abdul Ahad Mir, residents of Munnipappai village of Budgam. They revealed that they had infiltrated into the Valley from Poonch alongwith nine more militants, five of whom got killed in an encounter with security forces on this side of LoC.
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old woman, Raja W/o Bashir Ahmed Wani has died of electrocution at Beerwah today.
Shutdown in Valley
Srinagar and rural district headquarters in Kashmir valley today observed a shutdown in protest against the Shiv Sena activists’ attack on the senior separatist leader and JKLF chief, Mohammad Yaseen Malik, in Jammu this week. Hurriyat conference had called for the bandh. Attendance was thin in Government offices as most of the shops and passenger transport remained closed for the day.
A group of lawyers were dispersed with the use of force in the premises of the old High Court complex when they tried to take a thin procession to the UNMOGIP headquarters in Sonwar.
Demonstrators clashed with Police in the nearby Maisuma locality— home of the detained JKLF leader. Officials said that the stone-pelting youngsters dispersed when Police used tearsmoke and baton-charge against them.
Hurriyat torpedoes ISI plan to sabotage Kashmir peace process
DUBAI, May 10:Fearing loss of control over the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan had rushed ISI Director General Lt Gen Ehsan-ul-Haq to Sharjah to persuade moderate Hurriyat leaders to abandon the peace process and support the ongoing violence in the troubled State.
Lt Gen Haq, alongwith Brigadier Abdullah, who is looking after Kashmir affairs in the ISI, made desperate attempts to convince Kashmiri leaders, including Hurriyat representatives, to scuttle the political and electoral process in the State, sources close to participants at the Sharjah meeting said.
The Sharjah meeting on April 16-17 was attended by Sardar Abdul Qayoom Khan, chairman of the Kashmir Council in Pakistan, Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Omar Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone, London-based chairman of Council of Human Rights Syed Nazir Gilani, Ghulam Nabi Fai of the Kashmir American Council and Mushtaq Geelani of the Kashmir Canadian Council.
During the two-day deliberations, moderate Hurriyat leaders strongly pleaded for a dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue stating that the international situation had changed after September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Both — Mizwaiz Omar Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone — while favouring a dialogue, made it clear that there was no scope for violence in the changed circumstances. Sensing growing support for the peace process, Lt Gen Haq and Brig Abdullah promised substantial financial support to the moderates if they derailed the political process.
They advised Lone and Mirwaiz not to split the Hurriyat, a conglomeration of 23 parties, at this juncture and keep away from the coming elections, the sources added.
Lt Gen Haq said it would make things difficult for them in the State if the Hurriyat split.
However, Mizwaiz Farooq and Ghani Lone said that ground situation in the state had drastically changed and people yearned for peace. They no longer supported gun culture which had resulted in the death of "more than 50,000 people," the two Pakistani officials were told by Hurriyat leaders.
The Pakistanis were told that people favoured political process and a peaceful negotiated settlement of the problem. They said diplomats of the European Union (EU) and other countries, who had visited Kashmir recently, strongly favoured talks to end the impasse.
In fact even among militant groups, a rethink had been noticed in favour of a political process. (UNI)
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