First encounter in past 40-days in Kashmir, he was offered surrender but he refused, say security officials Awantipore
Nasir Azam
Srinagar: A week-old teenaged militant of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit was killed in an encounter at Awantipore area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday.
According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the slain militant was identified as Shahid Ahmed Gandhaj, a resident of Arwani area of Bijbehera in Anantnag district. He had joined militancy just a week ago. A police official said that acting on a specific lead, a siege was laid in Chursoo village of Awantipore area in the wee hours. “The hiding militant was given ample chance to surrender but he refused and instead fired at the security forces triggering a gun-battle,” the official said.
A video shows that father and other close relations repeatedly asking Shahid to come out of the house to surrender. “Your mother is dying, I will give you whatever you need and want, please come out,” Shahid’s father is seen repeatedly saying at the window of the house where his son was hiding. However, Shahid preferred to remain silent.
On its official twitter handle, police said that a militant identified as Shahid, a resident of Bijbehara was killed in an encounter at Awantipore. “As per police records, he was affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen. Arms and Ammunition recovered,” the tweet read.
Today’s encounter is first in the past 40 days as Kashmir witnessed a total lull in gunfights since November 26 when two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in Drabgam area of Pulwama district. A top police officer had told KNO earlier, that Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) were not being launched in the wake of bone chilling cold but anti-militancy operations were being conducted on the basis of specific leads about militant presence in a particular house or area.
