Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): A foreign militant associated with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba was killed and another managed to escape in the gunfight at Kulgam, Vijay Kumar, IGP, Kashmir said on Friday. "The slain militant was hiding in a building after attacking a BSF convoy. The two sides exchanged fire throughout the night and a foreign militant, Usman, was killed in the early hours today," he said. According to Kumar, Usman had been active in the Valley for the last six months.
"Usman was a dangerous militant and was planning a major attack on the security forces. An AK-47 rifle, four magazines of bullets, a few grenades and a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher were recovered from him," the officer said. Kumar said the security officers had intelligence inputs about the possible attack by militants along the national highway. "They were not successful because of the alertness of our security forces," he said.
Two civilians, a CRPF officer and a soldier were also injured in the Kulgam gunfight and are being treated at a hospital.
The forces had decided to suspend operations, that began on Thursday noon, later in the day following extreme darkness in the region. At least two civilians and two security forces - a CRPF jawan and a soldier - sustained injuries in a gunfight with the militants. The police had evacuated 22 civilians stranded at the encounter site.
"Two civilians, identified as Sahil Yaqoob Bhat from Anantnag and Shahid Farooq Sheikh from Kulgam received bullet injuries. A CRPF personnel and an Army jawan also sustained injuries," Kumar had earlier said. The injured were being treated at a hospital. Both security personnel are stable while Sahil Bhat's condition is said to be critical. The Srinagar national highway, which was closed last night, will be opened today, Kumar had said.
IED defused
In another development, security forces, on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, detected and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) in Dadasara area of Tral, police said. The IED was planted in a container near the government Higher Secondary School, Dadasara Tral, GM Rather, Awantipora SHO, told ETV Bharat. He said a bomb disposal squad later defused the explosive device without causing any loss of life or damage.
