Srinagar: Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar today said that at least five to six militants from Lashkar-e-Taiba area are active in Kashmir capital Srinagar.

“In the first week of September last year, we had declared Srinagar free from militants but in the second week, LeT activated a militant from Barzulla Srinagar. There are five to six militants in Srinagar who are being tracked and they will be neutralized,” Vijay said while addressing a press conference here in Kashmir capital Srinagar.

IGP Vijay Kumar while sharing information about Maloora HMT incident in which a militant from Narbal Abrar Nabi and a Pakistani militant were killed. He said after the Lawaypora and Khushipora attacks, they had busted a module.

“We had seized a vehicle used in the attacks and even arrested 10 persons. During investigation, a couple of names including of Abrar of Narbal, Nadeem and others had surfaced.”

He said a team led by DIG Amit Kumar arrested Abrar and another Pakistan militant at a Naka in Srinagar.

“One Pistol and hand grenades were recovered from their possession. On sustained interrogation he disclosed that he had kept his AK-47 rifle in a house located at Maloora. There after he was taken to that house to recover the weapon after laying proper cordon of suspected house. When the party was entering the house to recover the alleged weapon, one of his associates a Pakistani militant hiding inside the house fired on the party. In the initial fire fight 3 CRPF personnel got injured and the Abrar accompanying the search party got hit. In the ensuing gun fire foreign militant who fired from inside the house “got killed and Abrar also got killed. Two AK-47 rifles along with ammunitions were recovered from the site.”

He said they are giving sufficient opportunity to militants to surrender during live encounters but those involved in the killing of innocent people won’t be spared.

In response to a question, IGP said that Inspector Parvez Ahemd who was killed by militants in Badhat Kanipora area was innocent. “He was neither an SOG man nor a member of anti-militant squad. He had gone to offer prayers and was shot dead just to create fear psychosis,” he said adding that police can also adopt a counter strategy to stop such attacks.

“Policemen are locals and have to visit their families. Where they will go. Militants are killing innocent people just to create disturbances and fear psychosis,” he added.

He said those involved in stray attacks are part time militants and police is tracking them. “There is a module that possess pistols,” he said. (knt)

Drones a new technical threat, all security installations, LoC in Kashmir on high alert

Inspector General of Police Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar said that drones are a “new technical threat” and all the security agencies have jointly reviewed the situation while all the security installations and LoC in the Valley are on a high alert.

“GoC 15 Corps and I along with officials of other security agencies have reviewed the drone threat. It’s a new security challenge and a technical threat. We will deal with it technically. Deployment has been made at vital installations and details of that can’t be shared.

All the security installations are on a high alert in Valley,” Kumar told reporters at PCR in reply to a query how he sees the drone movement in Jammu region and recent incident at Jammu Air Force Station. He said a drone movement was spotted in Jammu today after which an FIR has been lodged there. “We are maintaining high alert and ready to face this new challenge,” the IGP said.

Pertinently, Jammu region has been already on a high alert after back to back drone movements and the payload dropped by the drones at Air Force Station Jammu, one of the strategic defense installations in the region.

Two Jaish militants involved in attack on SPO, his family in Awantipore identified

Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar Tuesday said that the two attackers who killed a special police officer (SPO), his wife and daughter at Hariparigam, Awantipore on June 27 night, have been identified as two Jaish-e-Muhammad militants one of whom is a foreigner.

“Two Jaish militants carried out the attack on SPO Fayaz Ahmed at Haripargiam killing him, his wife and his daughter. One attackers is a foreign militant and another is a local,” the IGP Kashmir said.

He said that both the militants will be tracked down soon as the searches have already been launched in Awantipore belt. The IGP Kashmir said that militants are targeting innocent civilians and unarmed policemen be that one at Habba Kadal, another at Kanipora, Srinagar or the SPO and his family members at Hariparigam.

“These killings are aimed at creating a fear psychosis to disrupt the ongoing tourist season,” the IGP said. “We can’t stop our men from going home on leave. They are from this place and have a right to visit their families.” (kno)