Two LeT militants killed in Kupwara encounter

Sister of one of the slain militant getting married today

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Langate area of Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday.

A police spokesman said the encounter started after army’s 30 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) 92 Batallion CRPF and police launched a joint search operation based on specific inputs about the presence of militants in Galoora area of Langate.

“During the searches, the militants fired on the search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed,” he said and added arms and ammunition was also recovered from the site of encounter

The slain militants were identified as Liyaqat and 18-year-old Furkaan, both locals, affiliated with LeT. Reports said sister of Liyaqat, who had joined militant ranks on 8 July this year on the second anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, was getting married on Tuesday.

Locals of the area said that Liyaqat was father of three children and left his home this year. “We have not seen him since July this year and we also did not know he has joined militant ranks,” a local said.

In the wake of killing of two local militants, authorities suspended the mobile Internet service in parts of Handwara. An official said the district administration Kupwara has decided to suspend class work today in all educational institutions of Mawar and Langate zones as a “precautionary measure.”