Srinagar/Nov,6: A former army man is among the two Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen militants killed in a gunfight with the government forces in Zainapora area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday, police said.
A police statement said that Government forces launched a cordon and search operation in Safanagri village before dawn Tuesday following “credible” inputs about the presence of militants in the area.”As the search operation was going on, the hiding militants fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated, leading to an encounter,” the statement reads.
In the ensuing gunfight, the statement said, two militants were killed. ‘The slain militants were identified as Mohd Idrees Sultan alias chota Abrar S/o Mohd Sultan R/o Safanagri Shopian, and Amir Hussain Rather alias Abu Sobaan S/o Mohd Amin Rather R/o Awneera Shopian. “They were affiliated with Hizb ul Mujahideen and were involved in attacks on security establishments and many other civilian atrocities in the area,” the statement reads further.
Idress, according to the statement, was a former army soldier. He had deserted his JAKLI unit in Bihar in April this year and joined Hizb. “No collateral damage took place during the operation. Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of gunfight,” said the statement adding that “Police has registered a case and initiated investigation in the instant matter.”
“Citizens are once again requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any”, the statement said .
