Sopore Gunfight Ends On 3rd Day, 2 Militants Killed

SRINAGAR — Two militant were killed in an encounter with Government forces at Warpora area of Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district and were identified as affiliates of Jaish-e-Mohammad.

SSP Sopore Javid Iqbal said that the bodies of both the militants were recovered from the encounter site today afternoon and one of them has been identified as Tahir Ahmad War alias Tahir Molvi of Warpora.

"We called his family and they identified him as their kin," the SSP said, adding that body has been handed over to the family.

Tahir Molvi, he said was active from 13-06-2018 and was involved in a number of civilian killings and attacks on government forces. The other militant was a foreigner and his identity is being established, he said.

Reports said that the residential house of Mohd Maqbool Najar where the militants were hiding initially was razed to rubble. During the course of the gunfight three more residential houses of Mohd Akbar War, Mohd Ramzan War and Showkat Ahmad Najar were also damaged completely.

Following the gunfight, clashes between youth and government forces also reported near the encounter site and main town Sopore.

The encounter broke out at Mir Mohalla area of Warpora Sopore after a joint team of Army’s 22 RR, special operation group of police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the area on Thursday morning.

Station House Officer (SHO) and his two security guards were injured near the encounter site yesterday.

Thousands attend funerals of slain militants in Shopian

Thousands of people on Saturday attended the funerals of two slain militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in south Kashmir’s Shopian district amid a gun salute and shutdown.

On Friday, Showkat Ahmad Sheikh resident of Harmain Shopian and Yasir Ahmad Shah resident of Arhama Shopian were killed in a gunfight with government forces at Gadapora, Ratnipora area of Shopian district.

Police said the slain militants were affiliated with JeM outfit and were wanted by law for their “complicity in several crimes including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities."

Showkat was involved in “abduction and brutal killing of three police officials Nisar Ahmad Dhobi, Firdous Ahmad Kucchay and Kulwant Singh, all residents of Shopian last year in 2018,” a  police spokesman said.

"As per police records, Showkat was also involved in attacks on Police Station Shopian in 2018 in which one police official Saqib Mohi-ud-Din got killed," the spokesman said.

Showkat was wanted by law for his involvement in several rifle snatching incidents reported across South Kashmir. He was also involved in conspiring and executing many attacks in the area. Several crime cases were registered against him, the spokesman said.

The militant group was also responsible for the killing of woman police official Khusboo Jan recently in Shopian, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, after conducting all legal formalities, the bodies of the slain were handed over to their respective families for last rites.

Thousands of people assembled in the respective villages of the slain duo to offer their funeral prayers. Eye-witnesses said that a large number of mourners including women staged massive pro-freedom, pro-Islam and anti-India protests.

Two separate militant groups comprising four to five members also appeared in the native villages of the slain militants and offered a gun-salute. (with inputs from GNS)