Posted on 08/14/2003 9:32:50 AM PDT by swarthyguy
SRINAGAR, Aug 13: Two days before the Independence Day, militants have intensified their attacks on security forces. While as one Police constable and two civilians got killed and 48 others sustained splinter injuries in a major IED blast at Bandipore, seven others died and 10 more got injured in other militancy related incidents in Kashmir valley since last evening.
Informed sources in north Kashmir told EXCELSIOR that a deafening explosion occurred near State Bank of India at the main market in Bandipore town today. Apparently, the IED had been planted on a bicycle. As many as 45 civilians, one Kashmiri soldier who was on leave and five BSF personnel sustained splinter and sharpnel injuries. Most of them were quickly evacuated and rushed to different hospitals in Sopore and Srinagar. Three of the critically injured breathed their last either on way to hospital or under treatment. They were identified as Constable Fayaz Ahmed Shah alias Bitta Shah, Tanvir Ahmed Shah S/o Ghulam Hassan Shah R/o Seelu (Sopore) and Mohammad Yaseen Shah S/o Ghulam Qadir Shah R/o Band Bagh (Bandipore).
Late this evening, sources at SKIMS said that three more of the critically wounded civilians were battling for life. The blast at Bandipore caused extensive damage to the SBI building, R K Sweets shop, one Maruti van and one scooter. It has been caused by militants, apparently with the help of a remote control device, yards away from a permanent BSF pillbox. According to a local news agency, Al-Mansoorain has claimed responsibility and said that five BSF soldiers and two Army personnel were eliminated in the explosion. Officials, however, maintained that only three persons died and 48 others (including a Kashmiri soldier and five BSF personnel) sustained injuries.
In yet another incident, militants in ambush targeted a BSF vehicle at Kaimoh town, on Anantnag-Kulgam road. It missed the intended target and exploded on road. Seven civilians sustained splinter injuries. They were rushed to hospital. A critically injured civilian, namely Mohammad Sidiq of Kanelwan, Bijbehara, succumbed to injuries.
Militants also lobbed a hand grenade on the house of the ruling PDP MLA Ghulam Hassan Khan in Shopian—second time in a week— and also caused an IED blast near Hydraulic Complex at Khwaja Bagh in Baramulla. However nobody was killed or injured in these incidents.
In the forenoon today, troops of RR 44 Bn and 2 Para signaled a scooterist to stop at Batpora, Shopian. The pillion rider took out a gun and fired on the troops while jumping and vanishing in a nearby locality. Driver of the scooter, namely Abdul Ahad Ganai S/o Sonaullah Ganai R/o Kath-Halan, sustained injuries. He was taken into custody for questioning and rushed to hospital for treatment.
Sources in south Kashmir said that, on a specific information, troops of RR 42 Bn and Tral Police raided a militant hideout at Chak Kangloora in Tral area this morning. According to the tip off, two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were present at the house of Fayaz Ahmed Sheikh S/o Jalal-ud-din Sheikh. During the operation, troops destroyed the house, killing Fayaz Ahmed Sheikh and a militant, namely Mohammad Altaf Wani S/o Abdul Gaffar Wani R/o Dadsar, Tral. While as officials claimed that both of them were militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, residents insisted that only Altaf was a militant.
Senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, rushed to Dadsar and conducted the Namaaz-e-Janazah of the slain militant. As his audiences raised anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans, Geelani assured them that the blood of the martyrs would soon bear fruit and separate Kashmir from the "occupational power of India". He asked people to observe Black Day on India’s Independence Day on August 15th.
Two unidentified militants got killed at the hands of 18 Jat at Thanda Pani, Jum Gund, close to LoC in Kupwara district. They seemed to have recently infiltrated into the Valley.
One more unidentified militant was killed by troops of RR 9th Bn in an encounter at Chitter, Kulgam, in south Kashmir.
Meanwhile, a civilian, namely Manzoor Ahmed Wagay S/o Mohammad Akram Wagay R/o Larnoo, Kokernag, succumbed to injuries at SKIMS, Soura, today. He had got injured in an incident of crossfiring between militants and security forces in Kokernag area the other day.
Police hunt for Arabic teacher, Sarpanch 3 civilians killed, 3 rescued
Excelsior Special Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 13: Two civilians were gunned down by the militants while another was killed in an explosion in three separate incidents in Surankote tehsil in Poonch district since last evening while Doda police today rescued three civilians and recovered two live grenades. Police identified an Arabic teacher and a Sarpanch, who were recruiting the youths into militancy in Doda.
Official sources said two militants entered into the house of Manzoor Hussain son of Shamas Din at village Taran Wali in Bafliaz area in Surankote at 2050 hours last night. After subjecting Manzoor Hussain to questioning for a couple of minutes, one of the militants fired a volley of shots on him with an AK rifle, killing him on spot.
Both the militants, believed to be locals, escaped after the killing.
Another group of three militants forced their entry in the house of Mohd Azam, 48, son of Kala at village Morha Bachai in Surankote at 2150 hours last night and kidnapped him. They took him to a surrounding field and shot him dead.
One of the three killers was suspected to be a foreign mercenary of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, the sources said.
Army and police today launched search operations in Morha Bachai and Taran Wali to apprehend the militants involved in the killings. However, no arrests have been made so far. Bodies of the victims were buried this afternoon after they were handed over to their families by the police after post-mortem.
Meanwhile, another civilian was killed when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off in the scraps in his shop at village Ajiot in Poonch this morning. He has been identified as Sardar Rajinder Singh, 45, son of Kala, a resident of Ajooda.
Rajinder Singh, who died instantly in the powerful explosion, was a scrap dealer. He reportedly fiddled with the IED, leading to a blast.
Police parties rushed to the site of blast and shifted Rajinder Singh to hospital where he was declared dead. Police have started investigations in the explosion.
Meanwhile, security forces and police today detected a 10 kg weight IED from village Darliapur in Banihal tehsil in Doda district this morning. The IED was safely defused, the sources said.
Police today rescued a civilian Mohd Ashraf Mir son of Abdul Hamid, a resident of Dallian Bajar, Gandoh, Doda, who had been kidnapped by the militants three days back. He was rescued from a forest area by a Gandoh police party headed by SI Barkat Qureshi.
Kishtwar police also rescued two boys—Mudassar son of Bashir Ahmed R/o Patimahal and Azad Ahmed son of Abdul Gani R/o Sangrambhata from the clutches of a group of militants. On their disclosures, police identified three persons, who were luring the boys to join militancy. They included Imtiaz Ahmed, 22, a private Arabic teacher and a resident of Patimahal, Shabir Ahmed, Sarpanch Patimahal and Mudassar.
In a handout issued today, SSP Doda Sunil Kumar said that Shabir Ahmed’s brother was an "area commander" of LeT for last three and a half years. A case in this connection has been registered by the police. Troops of 11 Rashtriya Rifles also assisted police in the operation.
A search operation was on to arrest the trio including the Arabic teacher and the Sarpanch, he said.
Police also recovered two live grenades from a bag, left by a fleeing militant Masud in Doda. Masud, a ‘tehsil commander’ of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and a residents of Bhabore, Doda managed to escape. A search operation has been launched by police to nab him.
Police said Masud was planning to lob the seized grenades during Independence Day celebrations.
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