Newly recruited four local militants killed in South Kashmir’s Shopian encounter

Shopian: Four militants were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, Police said on Thursday.

The encounter as per police broke out in Badigam area of Shopian when the village was cordoned off by joint forces.

There was an exchange of fire when search party established contact with the militants.

Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Vijay Kumar said that four Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were neutralized in the encounter. He said they were involved in 6 militancy-related cases including attacks on outside laborers.

“A hunt for their associates like Aijaz of Pulwama is on & they will be neutralized soon,” he added.

A police official said that four newly recruited militants affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed in a gunfight at Badigam village of Zainapora hamlet in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said Thursday.

He said that acting on specific information generated by Police regarding the presence of militants in village Badigam a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police and 44 RR in the said area.

“As the search party proceeded towards the suspected spot, hiding militants fired indiscriminately upon the search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter,” he said, adding that “in the ensuing encounter, four militants affiliated with LeT were killed.

He identified the slain militants as Showkeen Ahmad Thoker and Farooq Ahmed Bhat both residents of Sugan Shopian and Aqib Ahmad Thoker and Waseem Ahamd Thoker both residents of Heffkhuri Shopian.

Heffkhuri and Sugan villages are just half kilometres apart and all four slain militants had joined militant’s ranks recently, he said.

Aqib and Farooq went missing on March 10 and March 17 respectively while Wasim went missing on April 09 and Showkeen joined militancy April 03 this month.

Badigam is the same village where 5 Hizb militants including, Prof Rafi of Ganderbal, Sadam Paddar, Bilal Molvi, Towseef Sheikh and Aadil Thokar were killed on 5 May 2018.

The police spokesman said that the IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar congratulated the joint forces for conducting successful anti-militancy operation without any collateral damage. “IGP said that hunt for their associates like Aijaz of Pulwama is on and they will be neutralised soon,” the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said that as the operation was in progress some miscreants shared misleading information on social media relating to the stone pelting/ injuries to some army personnel at Kanipora Shopian.  “It is hereby clarified that the news shared is totally baseless, while the fact is that a vehicle of 44RR from Chowgam Camp carrying army personnel was on way to the encounter site at Badigam Shopian. The driver lost control over the vehicle due to some technical fault and it skidded off the road. In the mishap, four soldiers were injured who were shifted to District Hospital Shopian, where two among them succumbed to their injuries while as two other are being treated at 92 Base Army hospital Srinagar,” the spokesman said.