Army personnel move towards the house where militants were hiding during an encounter in which seven militants and a civilian were killed, at Dragad in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Sunday. PTI Photo
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Jammu, April 1
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/pak-violates-ceasefire-in-jks-poonch/567114.html
Pakistani troops on Sunday targeted forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir with mortar shells and gunfire in violation of the ceasefire, police said.
Indian troops guarding the LoC fired in retaliation and the firing between the two sides continued for nearly half-an-hour from 1300 hours, a police officer said, adding that there was no report of any casualty.
This is the second time in this week that Pakistani troops targeted Indian positions in the area. On March 27, Pakistani troops fired mortar bombs ending a 10-day long lull in the cross-border firing along the LoC in the state.
Earlier on March 18, five members of a family were killed and two others injured when a mortar shell hit their residential house in Balakote sector of the district.
There has been a spurt in ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir this year, resulting in the death of 26 people including 12 security personnel.
PTI
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http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/cop-killed-by-militants-in-pulwama/566782.html
Suhail A Shah
Anantnag, March 31
Militants carried out two attacks in south Kashmir on Saturday, killing a Special Police Officer (SPO) of the J&K Police in Pulwama district and injuring another in Anantnag district.
The slain policeman has been identified as Muhammad Ashraf Mir of Machpoona in Pulwama district. The injured policeman has been identified as Trilok Singh. He was shifted to a hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment.
The police said Mir — who was posted with a counter-insurgency unit in Srinagar — had visited Pulwama to condole the death of a relative when he was ambushed, chased and shot by militants. The shooting took place around 4.30 pm on Saturday.
“He was fired at by militants in the Murran Chowk area of the town. He was at present residing at Channapora in Srinagar and was off-duty,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Pulwama, Chaudhary Muhammad Aslam.
Mir was rushed to a hospital with multiple firearm injuries and succumbed there. “The case is being investigated,” said the Pulwama SSP.
Earlier during the day, suspected militants opened fire at SPO Trilok Singh in the Khannabal locality of Anantnag town. “He was on duty at Khannabal Chowk when militants fired at him,” a senior police officer said.
The officer said Trilok was immediately rushed to District Hospital, Anantnag. A doctor at the hospital said Trilok Singh had a bullet injury on the right side of his chest.
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A house up in flames during an encounter between security forces and militants at Kachdoora, south Kashmir, on April 1, 2018. Tribune photo: Mohammad Amin War
People stand along a barricaded street during an encounter in south Kashmir, in Srinagar on April 1. AFP
Arvinder Kumar
Hetram
Nilesh Singh
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, April 1
Militant groups in the Valley suffered a major setback as 12 militants were gunned down in counter-insurgency operations in three different areas in south Kashmir in which three Army jawans and four civilians were also killed.
The police said that an ultra had also surrendered before the security forces in Anantnag district.
At a hurriedly called joint press conference of Army, police and CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid said this is one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley.
The three slain soldiers were identified as gunner Arvinder Kumar, gunner Nilesh Singh and sepoy Hetram.
The operations by security forces rendered a severe dent to militant groups , officials said here.
Three Army jawans have lost their lives in the operations at Kachdooru in Shopian, officials said, adding three bodies of militants have been recovered from the debris so far.
The operation has been called off at Kachdooru and the security personnel will search the debris tomorrow again, the officials said.
Earlier, at a press conference called at Victor Force headquarters at Awantipura, around 33 km from here, Corps Commander of XV Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, termed it one of the biggest operations in recent times and said the death of Lt Umar Fayaz, who was brutally killed in Shopian last year, had been avenged.
"Among the militants killed are Ishfaq Malik and Rayees Thokar. They were responsible for his death," Bhatt said.
Fayaz, 22, was killed by militants in May last year. His body was found with bullet wounds in the Hermain area of Shopian district in south Kashmir.
The DGP also made a special mention of an SSP's efforts to convince a militant to surrender during the Dialgam encounter.
"I would like to make a special mention about the Dialgam encounter where our Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) made a special effort, which is unheard of in any part of the world.
"He called the family members of one of the terrorists. They spoke with him for 30 minutes, to convince him to surrender," the officer said.
"Unfortunately, he did not heed the advice of his family. During the talks, the district SSP tried to get him over. Instead he fired on the police leaving the police with no option other than to retaliate. He was killed. The other one was caught alive," he said.
On the ongoing operations at Kachedoora, the DGP said there was information about the presence of four to five militants, but "we will be able to give a clear picture only after the debris is cleared".
One civilian death was reported from Draggad and the other at Kachudoora, both in Shopian district, the police chief said.
Violence broke out at the Kachedoora encounter site in which 25 civilians received pellet injuries while six others suffered bullet injuries, the police chief said.
The DGP said all the seven militants killed in the Draggad encounter were locals and their bodies have been claimed by their families.
Inspector General of CRPF Zulfikar Hassan pointed out that people came in large numbers at the encounter site in Shopian.
"The operations will not stop and we will have to take all offensive measures in case they do not refrain from throwing stones at the jawans engaged in the counter-insurgency operations," he said.
It was painful to see young boys getting killed in this manner, the DGP said.
"I urge all the parents to appeal to their children to shun the path of violence and join the national mainstream," Vaid said. With PTI