Gun battle in Indian Held Kashmir kills three

[Devil Soul]

Gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir kills three
By AFP
Published: June 22, 2015

PHOTO: AFP

SRINAGAR: Two suspected militants and a civilian were killed in a gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir that lasted more than 15 hours, police said on Monday.

The shooting began Sunday when government forces cordoned off a village on a tip-off that armed militants were hiding there.

“Both the militants were local residents, one of them had recently joined LeT,” said inspector general of police Javid Gillani, referring to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned militant group.

Gillani said a stray bullet killed the civilian in Redwani village, 65 kilometres south of the main city of Srinagar.

A police officer on the scene said hundreds of residents from nearby villages came out to protest as troops cordoned off the village, throwing rocks at the them and shouting “we want freedom”.

“They were trying to help the trapped militants escape,” said the police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, he added.

Indian Army spokesman N N Joshi said two soldiers were being treated in hospital for gunshot wounds.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. Both countries claim the disputed territory in its entirety.

Since 1989 several rebel groups have been fighting hundreds of thousands of Indian government forces deployed in the region, for independence or a merger of the Himalayan territory with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.

 

[Burhan Wani]

Kulgam: Idrees Ahmed, the LeT militant killed in Redwani Kulgam encounter had joined militant ranks some 20 days ago and he was only 19 years old. The family sources told CNS that Idress, a Sumo Driver was never arrested by police in any case. “He was neither a stone-pelter nor was he affiliated with any militant organization. It was only 20 days before, Idrees went missing and later we came to know that he has joined militant organization,” said his close relative adding that he was very religious.

Another slain militant Javid Ahmed Bhat who belonged to a well-off family according police was active from past one year. “Javid was involved in three murder cases and he was actively participating in the militant activities,” SP Kulgam Mumtaz Ahmed told CNS.

“Police had arrested Javid in 2014 on charges of stone-pelting and shortly after his release, he joined militant ranks. We tried to persuade him to shun militancy but he was adamant to carry out what he called Jihad against Indian forces,” said his father Muhammad Ramzan. (CNS)
Kulgam encounter: ‘19 years old Idrees was 20 days older militant’