Pakistani militant killed in J&K as forces prevent attack ahead of August 15

A Pakistani militant affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit was killed while two security forces personnel and many civilians were injured in an overnight gunfight in Mir Bazar area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district.

The gunfight broke out on Thursday evening after two LeT militants fired at a BSF convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu highway and were later holed up in a nearby building in Mir Bazar after being chased by the security forces.

Police said that 22 civilians, including 12 shopkeepers, six females and four non-local labourers were evacuated safely from the building where the encounter broke out.

Kashmir police chief, Vijay Kumar, said that a Pakistani militant was killed in the encounter while the second one managed to flee. “Intermittent firing remained on throughout the night and in the wee hours one foreign militant identified as Usman affiliated with the LeT was killed,” he told reporters in Srinagar.

Kumar said that Usman was a dreaded militant and was planning a big strike on security forces ahead of Independence Day. “One AK-47 rifle, four magazines, a few grenades and a RPG launcher along with the mobile phone, was recovered from the possession of the slain militant,” he said.

The Kashmir police chief said that militant were planning attacks ahead of 15 August to instill fear among the people to prevent them from participating in Independence Day functions.

Pertinently 94 militants and 19 security forces and J&K police personnel have been killed in Jammu Kashmir since the beginning of this year. The highest number of militants (31) were killed in July which included several top commanders of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Among 94 militants killed in J&K this year, only 11 were Pakistanis while the rest were all locals.

According to the Army, there are still 200-225 militants active across the J&K while 250-300 ultras are waiting to infiltrate at launch pads along the Line of Control in Pakistan occupied Kashmir