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Srinagar encounter ends, militant escapes

The siege in Srinagar's Ahmadnagar area ended this morning after the militant, who was trapped inside a house, reportedly managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Toufiq Rashid reports.

Updated on: Oct 03, 2013 06:14 PM IST
Hindustan Times | By , Srinagar
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The siege in Srinagar's Ahmadnagar area ended on Thursday morning after the militant, who was trapped inside a house, reportedly managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

HT Image
HT Image

On Wednesday, a raid was launched based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, Abu Huraira, in the area.

While the police officially confirmed the presence of only one militant, sources said there were more holed up inside the house.

According to police sources, the militant started a counter attack on security forces and opened heavy gunfire and hurled grenades around 2am and managed to give cops the slip taking advantage of the dense tree cover behind the cordoned house.

The police, however, are tightlipped about the outcome of the encounter so far.

According to local residents, the police and CRPF cordoned off the area around 6pm on Wednesday and started house-to-house searches. They zeroed in on a two-storey house in old Ahmednagar on the city outskirts, where militants were hiding in a room on the first floor.

But even before the security forces could act, militants lobbed grenades and fired upon the raiding party resulting in injuries to eight personnel, including two officers.

According to sources, Abu Hurara is the operations chief of LeT in Srinagar and had moved recently into an adjacent area with his group after being injured in a firefight with security forces. The police have been keeping a track of his activities and Wednesday’s operation was based on days of surveillance and human intelligence.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Toufiq Rashid

Chief of bureau of HT at Srinagar, Toufiq has been covering the volatile state of Kashmir for the past seven years. Was working as special correspondent in Indian Express in New Delhi, covering health and wellness. Has done human interest stories from across the country for almost a decade.

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.
Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.
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