Posted on 08/22/2003 4:01:51 PM PDT by swarthyguy
Terror camps were temporarily shifted under US pressure : Ultra
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: An arrested Hizbul Mujahideen militant today said all the training camps in Pakistan are "operational" at their original places after being temporarily shifted following "US pressure" last year.
"All the training camps in Pakistan were still operational. During the heightened tension between India and Pakistan and under US pressure most of the camps were shifted", the militant Shahbaz Ahmad Bhat, said when he was presented before the media after his arrest by BSF yesterday.
Three base camps namely BOI, Garhi Habibullah and Mansera Jungles were shifted to Tarbela, Haripur and Taxila, which were running under the ISI supervision. But these camps have been shifted back to their original locations, he said.
Bhat, a resident of Chukar village in Pattan tehsil of Baramulla district, was arrested by the troops during a raid on a hideout at Harbachu village in Tral township of Pulwama, a BSF Spokesman said.
The militant said all the forward launching detachments along the LoC numbering approximately 17 have been fully activated and launching of militants to Indian side was going on unabated.
From the forward Kahuta detachment of ISI, at least two groups were launched prior to his infiltration into the Valley and two more groups were waiting there to infiltrate during the first week of the August, he disclosed.
The ultra said he was motivated by Hizb militants in Pattan belt and taken for training in one of the outfits camps in Pakistan in September 1999.
After undergoing training at Hizb training camp ‘allaqa-e-gair’ in North East Frontier Province for four months, Bhat moved to Jungle Mangle camp and stayed there for more than three years, the BSF spokesman said quoting his interrogation report, adding he returned to the Valley last month. (PTI)
2 militants, woman killed 13 civilians wounded in Bijbehara blast
Excelsior Special Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: While as security forces have killed two militants, militants have left 13 civilians injured in a grenade explosion in Kashmir valley last evening.
Informed sources in south Kashmir told EXCELSIOR that in the afternoon today, militants lobbed a hand grenade towards a convoy of security forces at Sangam, near Bijbehara, on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. As usual, it missed the intended target and exploded at a crowded spot, causing injuries to 13 civilians. They included five persons who were travelling in a Maruti car. Their vehicle suffered damage and all of them got injured. Eleven persons were rushed to a Srinagar hospital for treatment. One of the injured was reportedly battling for life at the hospital.
Not far away from Sangam, troops of Rashtriya Rifles 3rd Bn engaged a group of militants in a gun battle at Khiram in Bijbehara area. One militant got killed. He was identified as Mohammad Ashraf alias Talha R/o Sonbrari, Kokernag. Officials claimed that he was a militant of Harkatul Mujahideen. A fake identity card, in the name of Nisar Ahmed Bhat S/o Ghulam Ahmed Bhat was recovered from his pocket.
On a specific information, troops of Rashtriya Rifles 24th Bn clashed with militants at Landoora, Shopian. During the fierce gun battle, troops eliminated one militant. He was identified as Omar alias Shoaib of Harkatul Mujahideen. Officials described him as a Pakistani militant.
Reports from north Kashmir said that one Shameema D/o Ghulam Hassan Akhoon R/o Badalpora, who had been kidnapped by suspected militants from her home on Wednesday, was found killed at Badikote in Kupwara district. He appeared to have been labelled as an informer of security forces and, thus, killed.
Meanwhile, a local counter-insurgent, namely Ghulam Nabi Yazdani alias Saddam S/o Habibullah R/o Naugam, Shangus, appeared to have been fired upon from back. As already reported, he had been reported killed in crossfiring in an encounter in Ahlan Gadole area of Anantnag yesterday. His relatives have begun to level allegations that he had been shot dead by security forces themselves in order to justify the killing of the four relatives of a fugitive militant.
LONDON, Aug 22: The prevailing "peaceful atmosphere" in Jammu and Kashmir was not a "fluke" but a "permanent phase", Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said today even as his political rival Omar Abdullah favoured converting LoC into a "soft International Border" between India and Pakistan.
"It is not a temporary phase but a permanent phase," said Mufti Sayeed on BBC world’s question time India programme while appearing with National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Hurriyat leader Sajjad Lone and some other Kashmiri leaders.
The Chief Minister said the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the State is supported not only by the people of Jammu and Kashmir but also by the people of Pakistan and India.
"So I must say this change in the situation is conducive for peace and this peaceful atmosphere is not a fluke, it is not a temporary phase. It is the will and determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir."
One can only hope that this article is true. The people of Jammu and Kashmir truly deserve to live in peace.
It sure does. If things are really changing toward a more peaceful existance, we have to ask the obvious question: what will the terrorists do when their services are no longer needed? They ain't gonna lay down their guns and get jobs, and they aren't all going to migrate to Iraq, Afghanistan and the PA territories.
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