Five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and two army troopers were killed in a fierce gunbattle that raged yesterday and concluded today at Chowkibal forest area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.As already reported by GNS, army’s 41 RR, 16 Grenadiers and 19 Maratha Regiment cordoned off the Zonreshi, Marsari villages close to forests yesterday morning following the specific information about the presence of some militants in the area.As such the cordon-and-search operation by the joint team of forces was underway in Marsari village, militants who were five in number opened fire upon the forces’ and the fire was retaliated triggering off an encounter.In the initial exchange of gunfight a soldier Sepoy Shinday of 41 RR sustained bullet injuries and as the gunfight turned fierce, an army major namely Harivinder of 41 RR also received injuries. The additional reinforcement from 4 PARA and SOG also joined the operation
Official sources told GNS that two hiding militants and two soldiers were killed during night hours while three other militants were killed today. The two slain soldiers have been identified as Naik Shinde Shankar Chandrabhan, 34 of Nasik in Maharashtra and Gunner Sahadev Maruti, 26, of Bijapur, Karnataka. The slain soldiers belong to 41 RR.Sources said that four more soldiers including an officer identified as Sepoy Chitan Ashok, Sepoy Sachen Dhoblay, Hav Diyanend Patil and Major Harinvinder also sustained injuries today. All the injured troopers including Major are currently being treated in an army hospital.Till this afternoon, the army managed to kill three more militants, bringing the overall death toll to 7 and the army later called off the operation as bodies of all the slain militants were recovered. All the militants belong to LeT but none among them was identified by name. Sources said that the group might have sneaked into this side some two to three months ago.
Soon after completing legal formalities, the police handed over the bodies of all the militants to local Auqaf and they buried them in a graveyard at Zoonreshi. Sources said nearly 1300 people attended the funeral of five militants this evening.Srinagar-based army spokesperson, Lt Col NN Joshi confirmed the killing of five militants and two soldiers. “Five AK 47 Rifles besides a huge quantity of ammunition and other war like stores have been recovered from the site,” he said in a statement issued to GNS. (GNS)