Posted on 06/27/2002 3:05:46 PM PDT by swarthyguy
SRINAGAR, June 27: Unidentified gunmen, believed to be separatist militants, have massacred five members of a Bakerwal family in foothills of Pirpanjal forest range, in Shopian area of south Kashmir, during last night. Meanwhile, militants struck on Police in the capital city here this evening, killing an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) and a constable. Militants have also killed three Armymen in a landmine blast near Chandanwari, on the highly sanitised Amarnathji pilgrimage route, in south Kashmir.
Reports available to EXCELSIOR from south Kashmir this evening said that five members of a Bakerwal family from Rajouri were massacred by gunmen in the Pirpanjal foothills late last night. According to these reports, confirmed by official sources on the statement of a shepherd Sadiq Aawan, a group of unidentified gunmen appeared at a Bakerwal camp in Gurwatan Bahak at 1400 hours on Wednesday. They stayed at the camp for several hours and also had dinner. At about midnight, they struck on a family of the migratory shepherds, killing five male members of the dwelling unit in a brief shootout.
Sadiq Aawan, who reported the incident in Shopian, is now in Police custody. He told Police that the spot of carnage was 32 Km from the motorable road, from Harpora. He identified the slain individuals as Papa Aawan S/o Izrael, Gafoor Aawan S/o Izrael, Nisar Aawan S/o Gafoor Aawan, Zubair S/o Jameel and Rasheed Aawan S/O Aziz Aawan. Reportedly, they were all residents of Peri Gakhrot, Rajouri. Security forces and a Police party have rushed to the hilly terrain. Officials said that the complainant’s statement was being verified and no dead bodies had been recovered.
In south Kashmir again, another civilian, namely Ghulam Mohammad Shah S/o Abdul Majeed Shah, was found hanged to death in his village Nengerpora Khull, Damhal Hanjipora.
A special Police official (SPO), Waheed Ahmed Sheikh, has been slaughtered by militants in his north Kashmir village of Wadipora, Handwara, late last night. His beheaded body was recovered in the morning today.
ASI, cop killed
Here in the capital city, militants killed two Police personnel and left third one injured in Soura outskirts this evening. Official sources said that on a shopkeeper’s complaint, a Police party set out for investigation at 1930 hours this evening. A group of militants were already inside the shop. As Police reached the spot and began enquiries, militants fired and gunned down two personnel. They were identified as ASI Abdul Khaliq and Constable Fayaz Ahmed. Constable Maqbool Ahmed sustained gunshot wounds and he was rushed to the nearby SKIMS for treatment.
Official sources said that two civilians also sustained injuries. They said that militants walked out and disappeared in a vehicle without any resistance. It could not be ascertained whether the militants had also looted the weapons of the slain personnel. Later, BSF conducted a cordon-and-search operation which yielded nothing.
Militants have also looted the weapons of a 6-member Police guard at Kakran, Kulgam in south Kashmir during last night. As usual, most of the guard personnel were absent from duty and militants did not face any resistance in striking on the camp which was otherwise supposed to protect the minority community from possible militant attacks.
In recent past, Police have been losing public symapthies mainly due to their arrogance vis-a-vis common civilians, shopkeepers and motorists. This is now increasingly facilitating militants’ strikes on Police, particularly in the capital city. According to a local news agency, the newly surfacing outfit Al-Madeena Regiment has claimed responsibility for killing the Policemen.
Reports from south Kashmir added that security forces eliminated three militants in a fierce gunbattle with them at Gadole, in Kokernag area of Anantnag district. Their identification was not available immediately. Another militant, namely Omar Mukhtar Wani of Arwani, was eliminated by security forces in an encounter at Sangerwani, in Rajpora area of Pulwama district.
3 soldiers killed in Pahalgam
Official sources in south Kashmir added that an ambulance of Army’s 16-Garhwal was blown up by militants in a powerful landmine blast at Frislan, Chandanwari, on Pahalgam-Holy Cave route in Pahalgam area at 1130 hours today. Three soldiers got killed in the explosion that occurred at the highly sanitised Amarnathji Yatra route. In less than a month, the annual pilgrimage of Hindu devotees will begin on the same road. Over 100,000 pilgrims are expected to participate in the pilgrimage this year.
Woman killed, 36 injured in blast
In Anantnag district again, militants lobbed a hand grenade towards a unit of the paramilitary CRPF at Lal Chowk, headquarters of the district. It exploded on road, causing injuries to 33 civilians and four CRPF personnel. Most of the injured were rushed to different hospitals for medical treatment. Later, a critically injured woman, namely Raja W/o Ghulam Mohammad Khanday R/o Hardu-Toora Achhabal, succumbed at SMHS Hospital in the capital city. However, another official report identified her as Sami Jan W/o Ghulam Mohammad R/o Devipora, Anantnag. This particular report said that she was pregnant.
Sources said that the injured CRPF personnel included Head Constable Hoshiar Singh who was battling for life at a hospital. According to CNS, Al-Badr Mujahideen has claimed responsibility and said that it killed two CRPF men and left two more wounded.
The beheaded cop was a muslim - a "collaborator", no doubt. As was the family that was killed.
Not the Bolded - Beheading and headnapping again!
Twenty-two people, including two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, were injured when some unidentified militants triggered a grenade blast in Anantnag [ Islamabad ] district of south Kashmir . The grenade was lobbed at the crowded Lal Chowk area of the town around 11 am .
Condition of five of the injured was stated to be serious.
In another strike, militants Thursday blew up an army vehicle at Frislan en route to the 3,880-metre high holy cave Hindu shrine in south Kashmir , killing three soldiers.
In yet another incident, eight people, including five militants and two security men were killed, as militants attacked a police picket set up for the protection of minority community and abducted its head along with some others at Kakran in Kulgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir late Wednesday night, June 26, using sophisticated weapons.
The militants kidnapped the head of the picket, head constable Bashir Ahmad, and looted arms and ammunition at the picket.
Three militants of Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami were killed in an encounter with Border Security Force (BSF) at Gadole forest in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir early Thursday, a Border Security Force spokesman said.
In a fifth violent incident, a special police officer was killed and two personnel injured when militants attacked a police camp in Banihal area of Doda in Jammu Thursday night.
In a sixth incident, militants shot dead five shepherds at a remote village in South Kashmir . Five members of Bakerwal community, who were living in the forest area of Gurwathan near Shopian in the Peer Panjal range, were gunned down by militants Thursday afternoon.
In a seventh incident, a police officer and a constable were killed and three persons were injured when militants opened fire on a police party at Soura on the outskirts of Srinagar Thursday evening. Militants showered bullets on the police party at Sabzee Mandi, killing assistant sub-inspector Abdul Khaliq and constable Fayyaz Ahmad on the spot, sources said.
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