Colonel, Major, police officer among seven killed in terrorist encounter in Kashmir’s Handwara

A Colonel, a Major and a police officer were among seven killed in an overnight encounter between security forces and militants in Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Sunday.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Commanding Officer of 21-Rashtriya Rifles unit, his subordinates Major Anuj Sood, Lance Naik Dinesh and Naik Rajesh and J&K police sub-inspector Shageer Qazi.

Two militants, including self-styled Chief Commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Kashmir, identified as Haider were also killed in the fierce gun battle that broke out on Saturday evening when the Army and J&K police zeroed in on a residential house in Chanjimulla, Handwara, 80 kms from here.

Sources said security forces launched the operation after ‘specific inputs’ that the militants had taken shelter in the house while escaping from the nearby Rajwar forest on Friday afternoon. “While the security forces had inputs about the presence of two to three militants in one house, a group of eight to 10 ultras may have been hiding in multiple houses in the area,” they said.

“As soon Colonel Sharma along with Major Anuj and other slain personnel in the line of duty ventured in one of the houses to take cover to launch an assault on militants believed to be hiding in a nearby house, they came under intense firing from one corner of the very house they were entering,” sources revealed.

“As it was a dark night, some militants managed to give a slip while two who could not escape were neutralized after the Army carried out a final assault with the first light of the morning. There was also the possibility of civilian casualties in the area,” they added.

Active in Kashmir since 2015, Haider was the main face of terror in Kashmir, recruiting and motivating youth to join militant ranks. He was a Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK)-based resident. The identity of the second militant was not known till evening, but he is also believed to be a Pakistani.

Giving details, the Army said a team comprising five soldiers and police personnel entered the target area occupied by the militants to evacuate the civilians and successfully extricated them.

“However, during the process, the team came under a heavy volume of fire by the militants and in the ensuing firefight, two terrorists were killed and the five Army personnel and a policeman were martyred in the line of duty,” the Army said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while paying tributes to the martyred soldiers and a police officer, tweeted: "Tributes to our courageous soldiers and security personnel martyred in Handwara. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. They served the nation with utmost dedication and worked tirelessly to protect our citizens. Condolences to their families and friends.”