Article

2006-08-25 India-Pakistan

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Fred 2006-08-25 00:00|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Security forces and police gunned down two top militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit including an area commander belonging to the minority community at Kalihand, about 18 kms from Doda in early hours of this morning. This is for the first time that a minority community militant has been killed in the region though a couple of them had been arrested earlier.

Another militant, a section commander of Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) surrendered before security forces in Kishtwar today while 14 persons including eight civilians and six CRPF personnel were injured in a grenade blast at Seri Bazar in Bhadarwah tehsil of Doda tonight.

Official sources said security forces and police launched a search operation at Kalihand under the jurisdiction of Doda police station after developing an information that two Hizbul militants were likely to meet in the village last night for devising further operational strategy" of the outfit.

Security forces observed mysterious movement inside the house of one Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din at Kalihand and surrounded it. While Mohi-ud-Din was not present in the house, some women and children were present inside. Jawans and cops had to exercise restraint to avert civil casualties.

After about one and a half hour long efforts, security forces succeeded in bringing out the women and children from inside the house. Later, they asked the militants to come out and surrender but one of them lobbed a grenade on the security personnel. The grenade, however, exploded harmlessly.

Security forces and police opened firing killing both militants on spot. Bodies of the slain militants were recovered from the house this morning. They have been identified as Kuldeep Kumar alias K K Sharma alias Kamran alias Waqar, 27, son of Neel Kanth R/o Zihand, Doda, an area commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and Abdul Latief alias Khalid Kashmiri, a resident of Srinagar.

Four grenades were recovered from the slain militants, the sources said.

"This is for the first time that a militant of minority community has been killed in the region though a couple of them had been arrested earlier", they said pointing out that Sham Lal was another top militant of Hizbul Mujahideen from minority community who has been operating in Rajouri district.

Body of Kuldeep Kumar was handed over to his family at Zihand this afternoon after post-mortem. Police sources said KK was active in Hizbul Mujahideen since 1998 and was also reported to have converted to Islam. The family members hadnt performed his last rites till tonight. KKs name had also figured in a series of subversive activities including attacks on security forces and some massacres.

Killing of both the militants was a big blow to Hizbul Mujahideen, the sources said.

A militant lobbed a grenade at Seri Bazar from Khakhal Mohalla lane in Bhadarwah town at 7.30 pm today targetting a Police Gypsy Rakshak and CRPF personnel patrolling the town. A Balero car carrying passengers was also hit by splinters of the grenade besides the CRPF jawans.

Fourteen persons including eight civilians and six CRPF personnel were injured in the blast.

Police parties led by SP Bhadarwah Ashok Sharma, DySP Arif Rishu and SDM Talat Aziz rushed to the spot. Police and para-military personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. The militants, however, remained untraced.

Injured were shifted to Bhadarwah hospital. They have been identified as Mukhtar Ahmed son of Mohd Iqbal R/o Idgah Road, Meraj Din son of Ghulam Mohd R/o Saraf Road, Zahoor Ahmed son of Mushtaq Ahmed R/o Bhadarwah, Arjun Kotwal son of Manmohan Singh R/o Khakhal, Kewal Krishan son of Shiv Lal R/o Seen Dara, Bhalla, Dalip Kumar son of Shiv Saran Nath, an Assistant Manager in PNB Bhadarwah and a resident of Jain Bazar, Jammu, Sohan Lal son of Hans Raj R/o Ramnagar and Manmohan son of Om Prakash R/o Adalgarh, Bhadarwah.

Six CRPF personnel injured in the blast include Hari Shankar and Hari Ram Kevat, both Havildars, Varinder Singh, R P Ambedkar, Dharamvir Rajan and Kum Bahadur, all constables.

Rajouri Police today recovered 14 kg RDX, 20 time devices, 20 electric detonators, 3 RCDs and some documents from a hide-out at Gurdanbala, Rajouri. Police party was led by DySP Headquarters K S Jasrotia under the supervision of SSP Rajouri Farooq Khan.

Meanwhile, a HUJI section commander Nazeer Hazaam alias Sajid son of Nasirullah Hazaam R/o Nagini today surrendered before security forces at Kishtwar in Doda district. He handed over one AK-56 rifle, two magazines, eight rounds of AK and three Chinese grenades.

The militant has been sent for questioning.

Posted by john 2006-08-25 15:15|| 2006-08-25 15:15|| Front Page Top

#2 I thought it was the Queen's Own for a minute.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-08-25 15:51|| 2006-08-25 15:51|| Front Page Top

23:58 Fordesque
23:52 phil_b
23:39 wxjames
23:32 trailing wife
23:23 phil_b
23:04 Old Patriot
23:01 Phegum Spins7297
22:58 trailing wife
22:56 trailing wife
22:51 Old Patriot
22:40 Swamp Blondie
22:37 trailing wife
22:34 Swamp Blondie
22:06 SteveS
22:04 DMFD
21:56 Rd
21:55 flyover
21:51 RWV
21:50 mac
21:45 flyover
21:42 flyover
21:40 Poison Reverse
21:37 flyover
21:36 flyover