Pulwama, Nov 10: Two Hizbul-Mujahedeen (HM) militants were killed in an encounter at Ticken village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday morning.
A police official said that cordon and search operation was launched in Ticken village during the wee hours of Saturday after having credible inputs about the presence of militants in the village.
“As the searches were intensified the hiding militants fired on joint government forces which triggered a brief encounter in which two militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed,” he added.
However, locals of the Ticken village said that CASO was launched in the middle of the night and searches continued for very long.
“At around 6 am in the morning few gunshots were heard in the Ticken village,” added locals.
The house were militants were believed to be trapped has few marks of bullets on its back wall and few on aluminum fencing in the backyard, said locals.
The slain militants, both locals, were identified as Liyaqat Muneer Wani son of late Muneer Ahmad Wani resident of Bellow village and as Wajid ul Islam son of Muzaffar Ahmad Wani resident of Babhara village of Pulwama district.
“Liyaqat had joined militant ranks on 10th March 2017 when his BA final year result were yet to be declared,” said family members of the slain militant adding that after less than a month of his joining militancy, his BA final year results were declared and he secured 92% marks.
“We tried every possible way to bring him back but didn’t manage to contact him,” says family.
“Liyaqat never used to discuss politics but was frequently asking about the killing of his slain father in a staged encounter in 1998,” alleged family.
(His father was a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen).
A family member said, ” Liyaqat’s father was arrested in January 1998 and killed after four days some one kilometer around the vicinity of Ticken village in a staged encounter.”
He grew under the care of his uncle as his mother had passed away after one year of his birth and he is survived by only one younger brother who has completed his post graduation in history.
Liyaqat was very active during 2016 unrest in street protests and was hit by pellets on his right eye and undergone two surgeries said a family member adding that his father was his inspiration.
Another militant killed in the same encounter identified as Wajid ul Islam was a Hafiz e Quaran and molvi Fazil.
Muzafar Ahmad Wani father of slain Wajid said “he returned to home after completing Hafiz e Quran and was looking to go for Madina for further religious studies but soon after he joined militant ranks and we came to know through social media after his picture posing with AK47 rifle went viral.”
“Liyaqat never used to discuss politics but was frequently asking about the killing of his slain father in a staged encounter in 1998,” alleged family.
“Amid pro-freedom slogans thousands of people participated in funeral prayers of the two slain militants at their native villages and militants also appeared in the funeral and offered gun salutes to their slain associates,” said an eyewitness.
Five rounds of funeral prayers were held to the slain Liyaqat who was the son of slain former Hizbul Mujahedeen divisional commander.
Wajid ul Islam had joined militant ranks in May 2018 and at least five rounds of funeral prayers were offered to him at his native village Babhara.
A spontaneous shutdown was observed in Pulwama town soon after the news of two local militants spread. All the shops and other business establishments remained off and internet services were also suspended in Pulwama town and its adjoining areas.
Meanwhile, a police spokesman said that both the killed militants were involved in a series of terror attacks on security establishments and many other civilian atrocities in the area. “Liyaqat was involved in a number of terror cases and prominent among them are FIR No 69/2017 under section 307, 336, 427 RPC, 3 PPD Act, ¾ Explosive Substance Act of Police Station Pulwama, 85/2018 under section 307, 427 RPC, 7/27 IA Act & 92/2018 under section 307 RPC, 7/27 IA Act of Police Station Rajpora,” said the spokesman.
Arms and ammunition including AK and INSAS rifle and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of encounter, the spokesman said.
“Pertinently the INSAS rifle seized from the encounter site was the same rifle which earlier terrorists had snatched from Murran, Pulwama leading to the registration of case FIR No 182/2018 at PS Pulwama,” he added.
