Four militants were killed and a fifth was captured following a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian on Friday. Jammu and Kashmir Police said the militants were responsible for the killing of a Srinagar panch as well as the abduction of a Territorial Army personnel. On receiving inormation about the presence of militants in an orchard in Shopian’s Kiloora, a joint team of the J&K Police, Army and paramilitary forces cordoned off the village. As the joint team closed in, the militants opened fire, triggering a gunfight. Police said the militants were responsible for the killing of Srinagar panch Nisar Ahmad Bhat, who had gone missing on August 19 while on a visit to Shopian and whose body was recovered from Shopian on Friday morning. “We have killed four terrorists and one has been captured alive,” said Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar. “They were involved in the killing of the panch from Khonmoh (in Srinagar).” Police identified the slain militants as Shakoor Ahmad Parray, Suhail Ahmad, Shakir-ul-Jabbar and Zubair Nengroo, while the captured militant was named as Shoaib Ahmad Bhat. According to police, Bhat on August 19 had visited the family of Suhail Ahmad, one of the militants who was killed on Friday, and had offered to help him surrender. “Suhail is the one whose house the panch had visited. He (Bhat) had requested his (Suhail’s) father for his (telephone) number and offered his help,” IGP Kumar said. “He (Bhat) was kidnapped then and an audio was released that he has been killed and buried. Today, we recovered his body”. Police said that Parray, a police constable-turned-militant, was the district commander of militant outfit Al Badr, which “he had revived”. They said Parray, a personal security officer (PSO) of the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Bijbehara, had escaped with four rifles. Parray was arrested a few months after his escape, but later joined the militant outfit. “He (Parray) had revived it. They were around 10 militants. Five have been neutralised today (four killed and one arrested),” IGP Kumar said. “The captured militant is from Charsoo in Awantipora (in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district).” Police said the militants were also responsible for the abduction of Territorial Army personnel Shakir Manzoor who, according to the militants, was killed and buried at an undisclosed location.
