Separatists call for strike today against civilian killings
Srinagar, Jun 24: The separatists today called for a strike in Kashmir tomorrow (Monday) against the recent civilians’ killings in the government forces’ firing.
A 23-year-old man was allegedly killed in government forces’ firing today after a group of youth pelted stones on them while an encounter was on in Chadder village of Qaimoh in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, police said.
The JRL (Joint Resistance Leadership), comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, has called for a complete shutdown tomorrow, a JRL spokesman said in a statement.
The spokesman said the separatist trio have expressed serious concern over the “re-starting of operation all-out and cordon and search operation (CASO)” in Kashmir … especially in south Kashmir “which has resulted in the killing of four innocent civilians”.
Government forces have been carrying out operations to sanitise the Jammu-Srinagar national highway ahead of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, beginning June 28, another senior police official said.
Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, including its divisional commander Shakoor Ahmed Dar, were killed today in an encounter with government forces, while another militant was captured alive, in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
This is the third major encounter along the national highway. Three militants of Jaish were killed in Tral on June 20, four of IS-JK, an affiliate of the banned ISIS, including its chief Dawood Sofi, were killed on June 22.
