Gunfight under way to flush out Taliban intruders

Radio intercepts of conversation between two Lashkar-e-Tayyeba operatives revealed the presence of suspected Taliban militants in the Kashmir valley, reports Rashid Ahmad. Listen to podcast

Army commandos para dropped into the forested village of Maidanpora in Kupwara district of northwest Kashmir on Tuesday to flush out suspected Taliban militants.

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As first reported in Hindustan Times in the Tuesday (April 7) edition, unnamed defence and police sources on Tuesday estimated that between 20 to 30 Taliban militants could have sneaked into the Kashmir valley.

Radio intercepts of conversation between two Lashkar-e-Tayyeba operatives revealed the presence of suspected Taliban militants in the Kashmir valley.

Police sources say that security agencies have the intercepts of a Lashkar-e-Tayyeba militant talking to an unknown militant (purportedly senior commander) that Taliban militants have infiltrated into Kashmir. The militant (commander) on the other side is reported to have directed his cadres to ask “Taliban” to leave Kashmir.

Additional forces have also been rushed to Hafruda forests where a fierce gun battle is on with the infiltrators since Sunday afternoon. Two soldiers and one militant have died in the continuing encounter, sources said.

Security agencies and police are trying to verify the antecedents of the militants killed in recent encounters in Kupwara district.

Around 30 militants have been killed in half a dozen encounters that have taken place in Hafruda forests of Kupwara, surrounding villages in the past three weeks.

These clashes have also claimed the lives of 11 soldiers.