Bandipora Gunfight: 3 families claim slain militants as their kins

Bandipora: Three families from Kulgam, Shopian, and Kangan on Tuesday claimed that their kin are among the five militants killed on Friday at Sumlar village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Sources said that families of three slain militants Parvez Ahmed Tedwa alias Abu Mawiya of Kangan, Bilal Ahmad alias Abu Haider of Kulgam and Muhammad Umar from Shopian approached the Bandipora district magistrate and sought their bodies for proper burial.
Reports quoted officials as saying that families met us today. It needs to be confirmed because the militants have already been buried. The legal procedure for the identification will be followed by the concerned Deputy Commissioner Baramulla.
Earlier, Hizbul Mujahideen had claimed that the slain militants were local militants hailing from Kupwara, Kangan, Kulgam, and Bandipora.
On September 22, army and police in a joint press conference had said that five militants were killed during a two-day long encounter in Shokhbab Sumlar area.
The army also claimed that latest weaponry was seized from the infiltrators. The army was not sure about the identities of the militants but had suspected them to be foreigners affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. The bodies were buried at Baramulla besides people in Bandipora staged protests on the very first day claiming that militants were local.
Pertinently Bandipora observes complete shutdown today on the fifth day against the killing of militants.