Kashmir Mosque
Siege Ends With Three Militants Killed
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Scenes of destruction at Banihal in Thursday's standoff.
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By
Zafarul-Islam Khan, IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, July 19 (IslamOnline) - Three militants, including two said to
be foreign nationals, were killed and nine security personnel injured
in an encounter Thursday, July 18, after the militants holed
themselves up in a mosque on the main highway in Banihal town of Doda
district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The
siege which started Wednesday, July 17, ended Thursday evening. The
militants reportedly fired a rocket on the security forces.
However,
Jammu zone Inspector General of Police, PL Gupta refuted earlier
reports about the militants taking shelter in a mosque and claimed
that the militants had taken shelter in a three-storey house
"near a mosque" and fired from there on the security forces
who had cordoned off the area following a tip-off. Earlier reports
quoting police sources had said that security forces are taking
precautions to safe-guard the place of worship.
In
the long-drawn gunbattle, three militants were killed. Two of them
have been identified as "Abu Dujana" of Harkat-ul-Jehadi
Islami (HUJI) and "Mohammad Idris" of Jaish-e-Mohammad
outfits and three AK-type rifles and some ammunition had been
recovered from their possession.
During
the exchange of fire, a house and four shops were also gutted. Three
policemen and six other security men, including an army Major and a
Captain, sustained injuries in the encounter. The encounter stalled
movement of traffic on Jammu-Srinagar national highway for several
hours according to the official Indian news agency, PTI.
According
to police sources, mopping operation was continuing and bodies of some
more militants were expected to be recovered from under the debris,
official sources said. Earlier reports had suggested that the number
of holed up militants was seven.
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Soldiers
patrolling in Pahalgam, south Kashmir
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Elsewhere
in Kashmir, two persons, including a soldier, were killed and a
civilian injured in separate incidents in Jammu division since
Wednesday, sources said.
This
is not the first such encounter between security forces and militants
holed up in mosques.
In
June 2001, six militants were shot dead by the Indian army after a
36-hour siege of a mosque in Kashmir.
On
May 30, 2001, three militants, who had barricaded themselves inside a
mosque for more than 12 hours following a shootout with security
personnel, were allowed to escape when the army withdrew a cordon
rather than launch an assault.
May
1995 witnessed a two-month-long siege of the Charar-i-Sharif shrine,
which ended with 40 militants escaping. Most of the surrounding town
was heavily damaged in a fire believed to have been the handiwork of
the security forces. The historic shrine was totally gutted.
Later
in March, 1996, security forces killed a total of 17 militants after
forcing them out of the lakeside Hazratbal Mosque in Srinagar.
In
a report in its Thursday edition, Greater Kashmir quoted a
police spokesman as saying that sixty-two civilians and forty-seven
militants were killed during the first fortnight of the current month.
The spokesman said 155 incidents of militant violence were reported
during this past fortnight which included six incidents of hand
grenades, nine of bomb explosions, seven of arson, 100 of
firing/random firing, 17 of abductions etc.
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Soldiers
searching bus passengers near Jammu
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In
addition, 38 of the violent incidents were directed against
police/security forces. According to the police spokesman, nineteen
police/security forces personnel, including three dreaded Special
Police Officers, also died during the fortnight.
With
regard to seizure of arms and ammunition, the spokesman claimed that
37 rifles of AK series with 86 magazines and 2476 rounds, 18
pistols/revolvers with 13 magazines and 97 rounds, one RPG, one
grenade rifle, one sniper rifle with 41 rounds, 743 rounds of Pika gun
and 10 UBGLs have been recovered.
"In
addition to these half a quintal of RDX and explosive material, 7
IEDs, 124 grenades/hand grenades, 53 rifle grenades, 5 rocket
launchers, 15 anti-tank grenades, 40 detonators, 33 UBGL grenades, 9
RPG boosters, 7 bombs/ rocket bombs, 22 wireless sets, 18
batteries/chargers, one binoculars/telescope, 30 time devices, 16
pencil cells and one remote have also been recovered from militants,
thereby pre-empting colossal damage to the life and property of
peace-loving citizens," the spokesman said, according to Greater
Kashmir published in Srinagar.
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