Kashmir - 10 jihadis, 6 soldiers killed in Valley Capt, JCO among 8 killed in Yusmarg operation

SRINAGAR, May 7: Even as the US Secretary of State Gen Collin Powell’s deputies—Richard Armitage and Christina Rocca—have landed in Pakistan to bring New Delhi and Islamabad closer, troops in the Valley have intercepted a fresh group of Pakistani militants. One Captain, one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), one Rifleman and five militants died in the bloody gun battle that rattled Shopian-Chrar-e-Sharif belt of south Kashmir in Yusmarg foothills of Pir Panjal mountain range since yesterday. Five more militants and three more soldiers have reportedly died in other encounters between militants and security forces in Kashmir valley since last evening.

Informed sources told EXCELSIOR that troops of 4-Garhwal and 10 JAK Rifles conducted a joint operation, on the basis of intelligence inputs from Poonch area, in Yusmarg foothills of Pirpanjal in Shopian-Chrar-e-Sharif belt of south Kashmir on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the inputs, a thick group of Pakistani militants had infiltrated into the state from Poonch area and the same was on way to Budgam and Pulwama districts. Members of the heavily armed group were intercepted at Chor Gali and Gagaryan. A fierce encounter began on Tuesday, which was going on till late this afternoon. In all, five militants got killed. They were all unidentified but officials had reasons to believe that they were Pakistani cadres of Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Defence sources confirmed the death of three soldiers of 4-Garhwal—one Captain, one JCO and one Rifleman. These sources said that a smaller group of 4-Garhwal clashed with the infiltrators in Chor Gali on Tuesday. It killed two militants but suffered casualties as three soldiers sustained critical injuries and later succumbed.

Reinforcements rushed from Shopian while as some contingents of 10 JAK Rifles rushed to the area from Yusmarg. Members of the same group were intercepted in the nearby locality of Gagaryan today. Three militants were killed in today’s gun battle. In all five militants and three soldiers had died till late this evening. Sources said that the combing operation would be extended to a vast jungle area as eight to ten members of the infiltrating group had managed to escape. The operation was still inconclusive as more casualties are expected in the clash.

This group of infiltrators, comprising Pakistani cadres of Lashkar-e-Toiba, has reportedly infiltrated into the Valley at a time when New Delhi has been laying maximum of its emphasis on closing down the cross-border terrorism. This is the issue, which is likely to dominate talks of Mr Armitage and Ms Rocca with officials in Islamabad and New Delhi for the next three days.

Other parts of Kashmir valley were no silent. At Hari Warnun in Khansahib-Beerwah belt of upper Budgam, troops of Rashtriya Rifles 34 Bn and Police swooped on a militant hideout in the morning today. According to the information available with Police, a group of five militants of Hizbul Mujahideen was present at the hideout. During the search operation, an encounter took place between the militants and security forces. One local militant of Hizbul Mujahideen got killed. He was identified as Ghulam Mohammad Chopan alias Gulzar S/o Abdus Salam Chopan R/o Rawalpora.

Troops of Rashtriya Rifles 28th Bn were ambushed by a thick group of Lashkar-e-Toiba militants at Satrena, Sheikhpora, in the north Kashmir belt of Rafiabad, in Baramulla district. In the fierce gun battle, troops shot dead two militants, who were identified as Abu Sa’ad and Abu Omar Shakir of Faisalabad, Pakistan. However, eight soldiers sustained injuries out of whom two succumbed at hospital. One more soldier of RR 21 Bn got killed in another militant ambush in Wudar forest area of Zachaldara (Handwara) in Rajwarh belt of Kupwara district.

An unidentified caller has told a local news agency that militants of his outfit, Al-Mansoorain, have launched the "Fidayeen attack" on forces in Rafiabad, killing 15 soldiers. He has identified the two militants killed in the gun battle as Abu Jundal and Abu Afghan. On the other hand, another person has spoken to another local news agency on telephone and claimed that the attack in Rafiabad was conducted by Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Force in co-ordination with "guest militants". According to the caller, JKFF was the alliance of three militant outfits, namely Tehreek-e-Jihad, Al-Barq and Islamic Front. However, official sources insisted that documents of only Lashkar-e-Toiba were recovered from the two slain militants, who had been identified as Abu Omar Shakir and Abu Sa’ad on the basis of these papers.

Yet another fierce gun battle took place between militants and security forces at Chhampora village in Vilgam forest area of Kupwara district. Two Pakistani militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad were eliminated by troops of RR 06 Bn in this operation. They were identified as Gazali alias Khalid of Attok and Rizwan of Mirpur. Official sources claimed that Gazali was Jaish-e-Mohammad’s "district commander" in Handwara area.

NEW DELHI, May 7: Religious extremism and terrorism would rise substantially in countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the culmination of ‘war on terror’ would come when US attacks these two countries, according to a strategic study group.

"Religious extremism and terrorism is on the rise in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Aghanistan, Iraq and Iran and the US attack on Iraq has contributed immensely to it," Director of Strategic Foresight Group, Sundeep Waslekar said at a seminar on `Shifting sands - instability in undefined Asia’ here today.

"This whole war on terror started with the 9/11 attack on World Trade Centre. Whatever journey it might take the culmination would be marked by the US war against Pakistan and Saudi Arabia," he claimed, adding by 2010 US would be at loggerheads with Pakistan, its main ally in the war against terror.

Waslekar said none of these countries have a "democratic" structure for its youths to vent their disgrunt and added that this makes them easy prey for "mosque-based institutions, who have been able to provide them a political agenda which attracts them towards terrorist organisations,"

Pointing out that religious extremism in Pakistan was a "unique" one as it had extra territorial loyalty and believes in right to weapons of mass destruction for protecting religion, B Raman, an expert in defence strategies, said mere projections would not help unless action plans to counter these tendencies were devised.

Raman said India has been at the receiving end of this "punishment terrorism", which organisations like Al-Qaeda and Lashker-e-Toiba profess and added that no economic and political measures would work unless a counter terrorism mechanism was put in place.

Stating that "covert" methods had to be employed to fight this terrorism, he said "by doing this we are not going down to the level of Pakistan but are exercising out right to active defence."

"We have used these means earlier, but now we have put ourselves on high moralistic ideals and they are not going to help," he claimed. (PTI)

It sounds like the analysts' study is right on the money as far the ultimate source of terrorist funding. My own opinion is that the Pakistani jihadis would never have achieved either the size or level of organization they currently possess if not for Saudi cash. Of course, if not for the Saudi mi$$ionary programs in the subcontinent, I sincerely doubt that Pakistan would be half as radicalized as it is today.

It's worse. I was shocked to see Saudi TV on the Bombay cable systems. All arabic, all men, talking heads, boring to a non arab speaker who wondered what filthy message was being propagated throughout the land.

When asked, someone replied the Saudis probably paid the cable systems tons of money to run their channel.

And a side note; historically, islam in what is Pakistan now was never of the puritanical, austere Saudi variety; it had more of a sufi influence, albeit Sunni, but with music and even dancing and in certain cases, both Hindus and Muslims celebrating auspicious and holy days together.

Baiscally a distant memory in old people's heads now.

I don't doubt it. The Saudis have set up hundreds of "Islamic cultural centers" here in the US that all but justify terrorist activities. A lot of popular English-language websites hosted on US servers likewise sport the Wahhabi party line.

"When asked, someone replied the Saudis probably paid the cable systems tons of money to run their channel."

I don't doubt that for a moment. After all, it probably makes sense to them seeing as how they want India to be a province in the global Khalifah at some point.

"And a side note; historically, islam in what is Pakistan now was never of the puritanical, austere Saudi variety; it had more of a sufi influence, albeit Sunni, but with music and even dancing and in certain cases, both Hindus and Muslims celebrating auspicious and holy days together.

Baiscally a distant memory in old people's heads now."

That's a real shame. From what I understood though, at least a sizeable portion of India's Muslims are moderate in their beliefs.

Baiscally a distant memory in old people's heads now.

That's too bad. I have had friends from Pakistan and they always seemed very moderate to me; in fact, I never knew whether they were Muslim or Hindu. We were all in the US, and they didn't seem particularly interested in defining themselves that way.

Poor Pakistan. There are some people there who simply want to live in a decent, modern country but preserve their ancient traditions, and others who want to impose the Dark Ages on everyone around them.

I would say most are moderate but the increasing influence of wahhabism can be seen on the streets of Bombay where the nasty black burka seems to be more prevalent than it was.

Makes a lot of sense in the hot humid climate of Bombay, not!

Perhaps you noticed a difference in the way Pakistanis behave and talk individually as opposed to when they are in a group.

Let's see if they can resist the onslaught of jihadism in their country.

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