In another incident, teenager’s death due to alleged poisoning sparks fresh protests in the Valley
Signalling formal resumption of counter-terror operations in sensitive South Kashmir, security forces on Saturday gunned down the first local militant in an encounter since the killing of Hizbul Mujhadeen poster boy Burhan Wani on July 8.
In another incident, at least 12 people were injured in fresh clashes between protesters and security forces, following the death of a 16-year-old boy due to alleged poisoning in Eidgah area of the city. Qaiser Sofi died at a hospital here on Saturday morning. Police said he had consumed poison. However the separatists alleged that the boy was forced to drink poison.
Counter-terror operations had come to a grinding halt after Wani's killing as security forces were busy tackling street violence and other law and order problems. Wani's killing had also dealt a blow to the counter-terror grid with security forces avoiding cordon and search operations fearing protests and clashes that could have led to some kind of collateral damage.
However, acting on the specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants, a joint team of security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dobjan village of Shopian district on Saturday. Police sources said as the forces were closing in on the target, the militants fired on the troops injuring one soldier. In the ensuing gunfight, one militant was killed. He has been identified as Waseem Ahmad Khanday.
Sources said Khanday had joined Hizb-ul-Mujahideen recently after decamping with a rifle from the residence of Communist Party of India leader Abdul Rehman Tukroo in Shopian. "One terrorist has been killed in Shopian. One soldier sustained injuries and has been evacuated to hospital. His condition is stable," said an army spokesman. An AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition have been recovered from the slain militant in Dobjan. Security forces have launched a combing operation to sanitise the area. The encounter comes two days after security forces persuaded a Pakistan- trained local Lashkar-e-Toiba militant to surrender in Tujarsharif in the apple-rich town of Sopore in North Kashmir's Baramulla district.
The gunfight also comes 12 hours after militants detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Chandrigam village in Tral, the hometown of Burhan Wani, on late on Friday evening. Three cops, including a Sub-Inspector, were injured in the incident. The injured sub inspector has been identified as Nazir Ahmad.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Kashmir")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}