News Reader.info

A Central Reserve Police Force man was injured in a gunfight with militants in southern Tral area on Saturday, even as the police said no militant body was yet recovered from the encounter

site. An official said the injured CRPF man from 180-battalion was evacuated to the army’s 92 base hospital in Srinagar. A police source told Greater Kashmir the militants have “most likely”

escaped from the gunfight site in Aripal village. “A residential house was set on fire by forces. The exchange of fire stopped in the afternoon and since then the searches are on to

retrieve a body from the debris. The cordon has been extended to nearby areas,” a senior police officer told Greater Kashmir late on Saturday evening. He said the forces have installed

lights and tightened the “outer layer cordon” to prevent the militants from escaping. Earlier, thousands of people marched towards the gunfight site following rumours about the death of a

HizbulMujahideen commander Hammad Khan in the encounter. However, announcements were made on public address systems of mosques at his native village Seer about his “escape” from the gunfight

site. Earlier, TantrayMohalla in Aripal was cordoned off by forces at around 8 am. Local residents said it was snowing heavily when guns started roaring in the area. “The entire village

shook with deadly blasts, which also razed a residential house to the ground,” they said. Amid biting cold, locals living close to the gunfight site were asked to leave their homes before

the firefight started, officials said. The cordon was first laid by the army but when the gunfight intensified, the police and CRPF joined the operation, they said. CLASHES DURING GUNFIGHT

As the vehicles of forces were moving towards the gunfight site, hundreds of youth assembled at various places on Tral-Satura road and bus stand Tral and started pelting stones on the

cavalcades. A witness said massive clashes took place at Aripal, Lurgam, Lurow and Wagad areas. The forces retaliated with teargas shelling and aerial firing. All shops, business

establishments remained closed for the third straight in Tral and Awantipora, while both public and private transport remained off the roads. Meanwhile, authorities suspended the mobile

internet services in Awantipora police district and Pulwama district. Earlier on Thursday, three local Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants were killed in a gunfight with forces in Gulshanpora area

of Tral. YOUTH INJURED Government forces Saturday fired tear-gas at mourners who were heading home after laying a woman to rest in Sherabad village of Tral. The woman had passed away earlier

in the day. “A 23-year-old mourner received head injury after being hit by a tear-gas shell. There was no stone-pelting going on in the area. The forces fired without any provocation,” a

witness said, adding that the youth was immediately evacuated to sub-district hospital Tral where he is undergoing treatment. The incident took place when gunfight was underway between

militants and government forces at Aripal village. A police official, when contacted, said he was unaware about the incident.