Shah Imtiyaz
Pulwama: District Commander Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) was among the two militants killed in a fiercely fought gun battle between the government forces and the militants in Liter area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The public protests that followed the killing of two militants triggered intense clashes in the area during which one civilian was killed and scores others were injured. Soon after the gunfight the law enforcing authorities suspended mobile internet services in the area and despite chaos and confusion thousands of people participated in the four rounds of funeral prayers held for the slain militants in their ancestral villages in the same area..
Police said the two militants killed in a gunfight with government forces in Litter village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit. An official identified the slain militants as Wasim Ahmed Shah alias Usama of Heff Shopian and Nasir Ahmad Mir of Litter Pulwama.
Shah, he said, was the Shopian district commander of militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. He said one Ak-47, one AK-57 and six AK magazines were recovered from the gunfight site.
During a press conference after the encounter, Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone, Munir Ahmad Khan said that one civilian was killed and another injured in the crossfire between the militants and the Security Forces.
Khan said that Shah’s elimination is a big success because he used to recruit cadre for LeT. He was found at a hideout at Litter and police and its Special Operation Group team cordoned off the area, police said. Shah along with his bodyguard Nisar Ahmed Mir made an attempt to flee the area but could not penetrate the cordon which had been strengthened by the presence of CRPF and army, they said.
Shah, who was wanted in various militancy-related cases, was killed along with Nasir, another local boy who had joined militancy in May this year. A college dropout, Shah, a resident of Heff-Shrimal in Shopian, joined militancy in 2014 was a popular militant in South Kashmir and was instrumental in recruiting new militants. He was carrying a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
Eyewitnesses said shortly after the eruption of encounter; scores of people hit to roads and pelted stones on government forces who according to reports resorted to tear-smoke shelling. They also used pellets and bullets to disperse the protesters trying to ensure the escape of trapped militants.
Dozens of civilians suffered injuries in Forces action. Hospital sources said that dozens of were injured in the forces’ action. At least three persons were hit by bullets, they said. A civilian identified as Gulzar Ahmad Mir, son-in-law of Sanaullah Mir, a resident of Allaypora was injured during the clashes. He was rushed to the SMHS hospital in Srinagar but he succumbed.
Sources said that another civilian, identified as Muhammad Ashraf Mir with firearm injury was referred to SMHS hospital in Srinagar for specialized treatment. They said that around four civilians with pellet injuries were shifted to District Hospital Pulwama. Authorities suspended train service and mobile internet service in the district following the killings of militants and the civilian.
Tens of thousands of people participated in the funeral prayers of Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Wasim Shah and his associate Nasir Ahmad at their ancestral villages in south Kashmir.
Witnesses said that the funeral prayers of Wasim Shah were offered at least five times in Heff village to accommodate the rush of people who were marching from different areas of south Kashmir.
Similar scenes were witnessed at the funeral of Nasir Ahmad in Litter village of Pulwama. Four rounds of funeral prayers were held for him to accommodate the thousands of mourners. Pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans were raised as the bodies of both the militants, killed in a gunfight in Litter village early Saturday, were marched towards the graveyard.
Clashes erupted in Chillipora after angry youth hurled rocks at the recently-established army camp. The forces responded by firing tear gas shells.A police handout said that a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander was among two militants killed in an early morning operation at Pulwama on Saturday.
Lashkar’s district commander, Waseem Ahmad Shah alias Abu Usama Bhai son of Ghulam Mohammad Shah resident of Heff Shirmal, Shopian, was killed along with an associate Nisar Ahmad Mir son of Abdul Hameed Mir resident of Litter at Litter village of Pulwama in an ensuing encounter.
A joint team of Police Pulwama, 03 RR, 55 RR, 182 & 183 Bn CRPF cordoned off the Litter village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama after inputs about the presence of militants in the village.
As the joint team was zeroing on the target house which was the house of former militant Pintu Malik, the holed up militants opened fire, resulting in a gun fight that ended with killing of both the militants.
Waseem Shah was Lashkar’s district commander and one of the notorious militants operating in South Kashmir. He had joined militant ranks in March 2014. He was involved in number of FIRs viz 19/2014, 37/2014, 47/2014, 27/2015, 17/2016, 45/2016 30/2017, 02/2017, 50/2017 of P/S Zainapora and 107/2014, 130/2014, 87/2015 of P/S Shopian. His associate Nisar had joined militant ranks this year. Two AK 47 rifles and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site.
A 25-year old civilian identified as Gulzar Ahmad Mir son of Ali Mohammad Mir resident of Allaipora, Lassipora lost his life in the cross firing and one more civilian who was identified as Mohammad Ashraf Mir son of Mohammad Abdullah Mir resident of Litter also sustained injuries. The injured person is undergoing treatment at SKIMS, Soura.
