Sopore: Militants flee after fierce gunbattle

SRINAGAR Jan. 31: In the fourth incident of its kind during the past fortnight, Kashmiri separatists gave the security forces a slip after engaging them in a fierce gun battle in north-western town of Sop-ore early on Sunday. Similar incidents have occurred in southern Kulgam-Shopian-Pulwama belt and the fronti-er district of Poonch before. The police officials have confirmed that the 15-hour-long gunbattle between security forces and a group of militants, including a divisional commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen outfit, Basharat Saleem alias Munna, reportedly holed up in a private house in Sopore’s New Colony residential area, has ended but the search operations have not led to recovery of any militants’ body. A combing operation, to hunt the militants, is on and the smouldering debris of the suspected militant hideout is being rummaged around repeatedly, witnesses said. Troops from Army’s 22 Rashtriya Rifles with members of 76 CRPF and the local police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group mounted a cordon-and-search operation in the area at about 5.30 pm on Saturday after learning about the presence of the Harkat commander and his accomplices in the house of one Ali Muhammad Kemoo, close to his own in New Colony area. Amidst firing and deafening explosions, the residents of the area fled to safety, witnessed had rep-orted. On Sunday morning, red-faced officials said the militants, believed to be three in number, may have fled the scene after the house in which they were hiding caught fire late on Saturday night, hours after the gun battle raged. “The operation to flush out the militants was suspended late on Saturday night but resumed with the first light on Sunday…the encounter is over and search operations have not led to recovery of any militants body,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police (North Kashmir) Abdul Qayyum Manhas. He added, “The militants had apparently fled late last night after fire broke out in the besi-eged house and the officers supervising the operation pressed fire tenders to control it from spreading to adj-oining houses,” the officer added. He also claimed that one AK-47 assault rifle with three magazines and about 900 rounds, two hand gre-nades, a laptop and a pouch were found and seized from the house of Harkat commander Basharat located in the same locality. The rifle had “Basharat” inscribed on it confirming it was in the use of the Harkat commander who had wa-lked into his neighbour’s house after the forces moved in, said Mr Manhas.

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