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Kashmir Mosque Siege Ended, Two Activists Killed
By
IOL South Asia correspondent
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An
Indian army soldier uncovers the bodies of the two alleged militants |
NEW
DELHI, Feb. 10 (IslamOnline) - An 18-hour siege of a mosque in the frontier
district of Kupwara in north Kashmir ended early today when two activists of the
Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen (JuM), holed up there, were killed by the security forces,
PTI reported.
The
activists, identified as Abu Danyal alias Abu Hamza Baba, a self-styled district
commander of the JuM and Shabir alias Rashid, were killed after repeated appeals
to them to lay down arms failed to evoke any response, according to the police
version. A civilian was also killed in the incident and the mosque suffered
minor damages in the exchange of fire.
Security
forces believed three guerrillas had taken refuge in the mosque in the Tutigund
area of Kupwara district on Friday when they launched a search operation in the
region.
The
stand off began around 8.30 am on Friday, when BSF personnel on a routine
patrolling had a chance encounter with the activists at village Tutigund, 72
kilometers from Srinagar. After the brief encounter, the activists escaped and
took shelter in the local mosque. The troops who chased the activists laid a
siege of the place of worship.
The
civilian, whom the authorities initially claimed to be an activist and killed in
the retaliatory action, was a villager, police said.
This
is the second incident of activists taking shelter inside a mosque in north
Kashmir within five days. Earlier on February 3, two Hizbul Mujahideen activists
remained holed up for two days inside a mosque at Tarzoo village in Sopore area
of Baramulla district and before finally surrendering.
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