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Militants open fire during search operation, one soldier injured

Last Updated 22 February 2018, 07:37 IST

A soldier was injured after militants opened fire on army's search party in Hajin area of north Kashmir's Bandipora district on Thursday.

Reports said army's 13-Rashtriya Rifles and special operations group of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a cordon and search operation in Paribal area of Hajin, 34 kms from here, early Monday after inputs about the presence of militants.

The militants hiding in the area opened fire after a search party approached them, leaving an army man identified as Gobind Singh injured. Sources said that militants escaped from the site after exchanging fire. Meanwhile, locals took to streets and staged protests to help the ultras flee.

Hajin made headlines when security forces gunned down six Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including nephew of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in November last year. Earlier on October 11, two Air Force commandos and an equal number of LeT militants were killed while four security personnel were injured in an encounter in the same area.

Hajin, once known as the epi-centre of pro-government militia - Ikhwan - who broke the back of militancy in 1990's, has found itself in the news as it is being used as a transit route and base camp for foreign militants belonging to Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

A police officer familiar with the pattern of militancy in Bandipora said, the seeds for the revival of militancy in the area were actually sown by slain commander of LeT Abu Qasim, who was active in Hajin during 2014-15.  

"Hajin's topography allows it to be used as a safe sanctuary for foreign militants and allows them to use the town as a transit route to reach south Kashmir and Srinagar. The militants active in Hajin areas keep a low profile because they view the district as only a transit point, he said.

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(Published 22 February 2018, 07:24 IST)

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