http://zeenews.india.com/news/india...en-security-forces-and-militants_1939242.html
Srinagar: The 56-hour gunbattle between security forces and militants ended on Wednesday.
The militants were holed up in a government building at Pampore on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. Both the hiding there hiding there have been shot dead by brave jawans.
Here is what happened in the 56-hour gunbattle between security forces and militants
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While one militant was killed Tuesday evening, the other militant was shot dead by the security forces on Wednesday
- Security forces pounded the EDI building since Monday after the militants barged inside the complex with the aim of engaging the law enforcing agencies
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The operation, which lasted more than 56 hours, has reduced the multi-storey building to a skeleton after many of its walls were blown up
- Elite Para commandos of the army were also called in to neutralise the militants
- The militants had stormed into the EDI complex in the wee hours of Monday and took positions inside one of the buildings
- As there were reports of two to three militants present in the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) complex, the security forces had to search all the 50 rooms of the building before calling off the operation
Other key details
- Bodies of two militants have been recovered
- Prima facie there were indications that they belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba
Day in Pics - October 12, 2016
Fire and smoke rises from the government building where suspected militants have taken refuge during a gun battle in Pampore, 16 kms from Srinagar.
Day in Pics - October 12, 2016
Sandy, a rottweiler on the prowl of militants with his uniformed colleague.
An Army dog sniffs for explosives in a car during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Updated: October 12, 2016 16:11 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jammu-and-kashmirs-canine-soldiers/article9211212.ece
From sniffing out an IED to chasing a runaway terrorist and alerting a possible intrusion, Army dogs have been performing their duties with aplomb.
After a long, hard day at work in counter-insurgency operations, Tractor and Sam trudge into their respective camps located in a remote village of south Kashmir and get a hero’s welcome each day.
Some of the Army personnel pat them while others throw a ball and some offer biscuits for a great job done by the two canines during an anti-militancy operation by detecting an Improvised Explosive Devices or alerting troops about suspicious movements.
Tractor, a Rottweiler, and Sam, a German Shepherd, have been deployed with an unit of Army’s Rashtriya Rifles, which keeps a vigil on sensitive areas of south Kashmir covering Kokernag, Achabal, Magam forests and Pahalgam.
Both had the distinction of being part of the operation in which young Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani and two others were killed on July 8, 2016.
“After the successful operation, these two colleagues of mine also had a sense of relief along with other teammates,” says an Army Major referring to Tractor and Sam.
They are fondly taken care of and engaged by soldiers who devote a considerable free time of theirs to give company to their “colleagues” who keep a watch when they sleep in their makeshift tents or accommodation or walk down the roads which could be mined by terrorists.
Sniffing out an IED planted on a road or chasing a runaway terrorist or alerting a possible intrusion are some of the duties that these dogs have been performing with aplomb.
“When nation sleeps, people know that we are awake and when we take a nap, we know that these (dogs) are awake,” says a Army officer as he fondly pats ‘Sam’ and ‘Tractor’ who had detected an IED on Dailgam-Achabal road.
The canines besides performing the duties in counter-insurgency operations also act as “stress-busters” for the troops who like to play with us, says a handler.
“The dogs have their own mechanism of studying and observing us and adjusting themselves to our mood,” said another Army major.
“During chalo calls when crowd was building, Trigger was very effective with his presence. He activates himself to attack any violent demonstrators,” the officer said and added with a smile, “his nervous system gets activated the moment he hears word ‘Azadi’”.
Besides these canines, there is a Jojo, a Bakarwali dog found locally in hilly areas, and Caesar, a Rottweiler, to help security forces tackle violent demonstrations.
“Last month violent protesters pelted stones at our camp and threw petrol bottles. We refrained from firing as this could have led to casualties and instead we unleashed the two who not only chased them away but also ensured they don’t assemble again,” a senior Army officer said.
And not to forget Tarzan, another German Shepherd, who plays an important part in the perimeter security especially at night and is very responsive to any suspicious activity.
The handlers of these dogs also recall the services of Mansi, a four-year-old Labrador and a member of Army’s tracker dog unit, who was the first canine to have been selected for a posthumous war honour.
Mansi was honoured with the ‘Mention of Despatches’ certificate. Her name will appear in the Gazette of India for making supreme sacrifice for the nation.
She along with her handler had a successful season in 2015 with three kills to their credit. They were involved in the killing of a terrorist at Kaisuri ridge in Tangdhar area, followed by the gunning down of two militants on July 21, 2015.
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Earlier in the day, a CRPF patrol was attacked less than 50 kilometres from there.
According to officials, a grenade was thrown at a patrol in Bona Bazar in Shopian. Two jawans and seven civilians were injured and have been admitted to a hospital, police officials said.