Jaish commander among 4 killed, woman militant arrested in J

Srinagar, Sep 20: Troops killed three militants of Pakistan -based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), including a commander while ultras shot dead a woman in the Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Security forces arrested a woman militant of Lashker and recovered a war like store in the Kashmir valley overnight.

A defence ministry spokesman said troops received specific information that a group of militants was hiding in the woods at Bapura in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.

He said when the troops were sealing the area, militants opened fire and also hurled hand grenades. The fire was returned and in the two-hour-long fierce clash, two militants of LeT were killed. Two AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain ultras.

However, a police spokesman said the slain militant were from Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit.

He said militants today entered the house of one Musarat Hussain Ganai at Bali and shot dead his wife Razia Begum in Doda district of Jammu region.

A report from Jammu said security forces today gunned down a listed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander here in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district.

The JeM tehsil commander Javed Ahmed alias Jugnu, a resident of Sangram Bhatta in Kishtwar, was killed in a joint operation conducted by Rashtriya Rifles and local police this morning,'' Doda SSP Manohar Singh told UNI.

The slain militant was listed in the 'A' category and was involved in several terrorist activities in Chhatru, Kisthwar and Marwah areas of Doda, SSP Singh added.

Defence ministry spokesman said in another operation, troops unearthed a war like store and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition including two AK rifles, eight magazines, 284 rounds of ammunition, one pistol with magazine, one UBGL, two wireless sets, three hand grenades, six Remote Control Devices and five UBGL grenades. However, no one was arrested, he said.

Police have arrested a female activist of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) in north Kashmir district of Baramulla today, a police spokesman said.

He said acting on a specific information, Handwara police arrested a female accomplice of militant Khalida Akther, a resident of Baramulla when she was going to meet a LeT commander of north Kashmir Anees in village Lame Mawar.

Spokesman said she is associated with LeT militant outfit and has undergone two punishment terms in the year 2002 and 2004 under Public Safety Act (PSA).

She was arrested for her involvement in militancy related incident in the year 2002 and was convicted for six months imprisonment under PSA in sub-jail Baramulla. She was however released in 2003.

She was working as weapons carrier for a LeT militant commander Anus besides providing them information about the activities of protected persons in Baramulla District.

She was again apprehended by police in Baramulla and a case under explosive act was registered and she was detained for 18 months under PSA and was released last year.

However, she remained associated with the LeT and provided logistic support to militants.

Spokesman said before her arrest she was in contact with LeT chief north Kashmir Anus, Yousuf Bloch of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) commander Al-Bader north Kashmir, Mushtaq Malla alias Furkan commander of HM and Wakas of POK commander of Al-Bedar militant outfit.

Official spokesman said militants shot at and wounded one Ali Mohammad Dar, a worker of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), coalition partner in the state at Bijbehara in south Kashmir district of Anantnag. He has been hospitalised. One Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable was injured when militants detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) near a shrine at Quimoh in Anantnag today. The injured was admitted to hospital.

He said militants hurled a hand grenade towards security forces at Chini Chowk, Anantnag, last evening which exploded causing injuries to two persons, including a state police constable.

Militants kidnapped one Abdul Gani and chopped off his both ears at Gowari, he said.

Spokesman said police arrested a Lashker militant during a search operation at New Colony, Sopore, in Baramulla district last evening.

Another Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) platoon commander was arrested from Eidgah in the down town city by the security forces last night.

UNI