SRINAGAR: There are reports that Kashmiri militants attacked and destroyed an army convoy killing at least 100 Indian soldiers Friday near Srinagar.
The army moved in to flush the Dal Gate area of militants after a fierce two-hour encounter between the security forces and militants belonging to the Hizbullah group in which an area commander of the organization and a woman were killed.
The security forces killed four Kashmiri militants in different incidents July 27 in the valley while the outlawed Jammu and Kashmiri Liberation Front killed three of its members including two area commanders alleging that they had turned informers.
The Dal Gate firing started after the security forces acting on information challenged Mehra jud din Khan Area Commander of Hizbullah and killed him when he tried to run away. Soon after a group of armed militants launched a big offensive against the security forces deployed there.
One woman Raffia was killed in the cross-fire while a militant who was seriously injured was arrested.
The security forces took vantage positions on the adjoining Shank Garacharya hills overlooking Dal Lake to repel the militant’s offensive. Rockets were used to attack the security forces.
The entire area was cordoned off and the traffic diverted. Soon the army moved in to assist the paramilitary forces to comb the area.
The police recovered three bodies of militants belonging to the JKLF from Batarnaloo The three reportedly killed by the JKLF itself to enforce party discipline have been identified as Manzoor Ahmed Gonia of Batmaloo Bilal Ahmed of Guru Bazar and Farooq Ahmed of Batmaloo the two last being area commanders.
The militants also fired at a leading lawyer Zahoor Ahmed Shah at Gawkadal. He has been hospitalized and is out of danger. Elsewhere the police killed one militant at Baramulla and three militants in two different incidents in Kupwara district. A large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered by the security forces an official press note said_
Militants burned a house belonging to Motilal Ranian Badyar Bala in downtown Srinagar.
Both the govt and the Dhwan-ul Musilmeen are maintaining silence over efforts to get R. Doraiswamy released Sources say fresh efforts by the govt to seek the help of certain meditator’s have failed.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 2, 1991
