Hunt on for terrorists after Army officers, cop killed in Anantnag

Mangalore Today News Network

Anantnag, Sep 14, 2023: The situation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district remains tense as security forces continue their efforts to neutralize the threat posed by terrorists, who killed two Army officers and a senior police official in a fierce gunfight on Wednesday.

 

A fresh effort to eliminate terrorists in the forested region of Kokernag resumed on Thursday morning. Security forces have surrounded two terrorists, including a local Lashkar-e-Taiba operative named Uzair Khan.

The operation to hunt down the terrorists was halted overnight after an Army Colonel, a Major and a Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police were killed.

Here are the latest developments in the Anantnag encounter:

1. A deadly encounter took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday, where two Indian Army officers and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) were killed in a fierce gunfight with terrorists.

2. The deceased officers were identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonack, and DSP Humayun Bhat. Despite immediate reinforcements, they could not be evacuated due to heavy firing from the well-entrenched terrorists.

3. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), stating it was an act of revenge for the killing of their leader Riyaz Ahmed in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) earlier this month.

4. However, intelligence sources suggest that the same terrorist module responsible for an attack on five army soldiers in Jammu’s Poonch in April is behind the incident in Anantnag. This new terror module, comprising terrorists from LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, has been active for the past six months.

5. Following the attack, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday announced that they have "encircled" two LeT terrorists, one of whom has been identified as Uzair Khan.

"In solemn tribute to the unwavering valor of Col Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak & DSP Humayun Bhat who laid down their lives leading from the front during this ongoing operation. Our forces persist with unwavering resolve as they encircle 2 LET terrorists including Uzair Khan," Kashmir Zone Police said in a post on X.

6. he encounter in Kokernag took place during a joint anti-insurgency operation involving J&K Police and the Army. Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonack, and DSP Humayun Bhat were critically injured in the gunfight with terrorists. Colonel Singh, who was Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, died on the spot, while the other two succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

7. DSP Humayun Bhat, father of a two-month-old daughter and son of retired Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ghulam Hasan Bhat, was laid to rest in his hometown of Humhama in Budgam. Hundreds of people turned up to pay their respects to the slain cop.

8. Meanwhile, the bodies of Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonchak were airlifted from the encounter site on Thursday. Top Army, police and civil administration officials will pay their last respects to the deceased officers, before their mortal remains are sent to their families, officials said.

9. In the wake of the Anantnag encounter, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Naeem Akhtar has called for a change in the Government of India’s policy on Kashmir, claiming current policies have flopped. Without mentioning Pakistan or terrorists, he blamed the Centre for the killings in the Valley.

10. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said India and Pakistan will have to come to the dialogue table if they want to end bloodshed and find lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Such incidents will continue if there is no dialogue. We are fools if we think that it (violence) will stop. We will keep losing lives.... There is no way but dialogue. Both countries should give up their stubbornness and hold talks," Abdullah said.

He also slammed the BJP-led Centre for claiming that terrorism has ended in Jammu and Kashmir.

Courtesy: India Today