Police and Security Forces achieved a major success by
eliminating one top self-styled commander and his associate of Pakistan-based
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit in a fierce gun battle at Akhran Khari near
Danipai nallah under the jurisdiction of Police Station Banihal of District
Ramban. Slain terrorist have been identified as self styled LeT Commander of
Pir Panchal belt Ajaz Ahmed Malik alais ‘Musa’ of Shagan Ramban and Farooq Ahmed Thakri alais Zulfikar Nain,
of Dessa Doda. Arms and ammunition recovered from their hideout includes two
AK-47 rifles, six magazines, 200 rounds of AK , Chinese grenades, a satellite
phone, a mobile phone, a pair of binoculars and a compass.
Reports revealed that police after receiving information about
presence of a group of top terrorists in region, acted swiftly and launched a
search operation in area in association with a column of 22 Rastriya Rifles. Suspected
area was cordoned off in the wee hours. Soon after, hiding terrorists hurled
grenades and opened indiscriminate firing on troops which was replied
effectively, resulting in a fierce gun battle, continued for several hours. In ensuing
gun battle two ultras have been eliminated.
Abu Musa alias Mohd Ayaz Malik S/o Abdul Raheem Malik, was
a local and hailed from Shagun, Banihal.
He had joined militancy at young age of around 16 years in year 2002 and
had become a dreaded terrorist over the years.
He had let loose a reign of terror in the area and had been personally responsible
for a number of attacks on Security Forces and extortion. Several FIRs have been registered against him
in Police Station Banihal and Gool which include killing of 02 Jawans of 23 RR
on two different occasions as also the recent killing of 02 TA Jawans in
Bhimdassa, Gool area on January 1st. He
had attacked STF Picket Ahma in 2009 in which some Police personnel had been
injured. He had also been involved in
the killings of civilians in his area, on the pretext hat they were working for
the Security Forces. In one such
incident in August 2010, he had killed a civilian namely Israel Gujjar of
Akhran Kharee.
Abu Musa was in close touch with LeT mentors across on
whose behest he had been undertaking nefarious acts of sabotage and
subversion. As per an intercepted
conversation of two days back, he had been directed from across to activate
internet services on his new mobile and use the same from areas far away from
his hideouts for safer communication. Zulkarnain, alias Farooq Ahmed See S/o
Mohd Rustam See, was from Ugad area of District Doda. He had joined LeT in July, 2008 in Bhaderwah
area where he had been motivated by the local LeT Commander Iqbal. However, he had shifted his area of operation
to Banihal Gool area and was a close associate of Abu Musa and had also been
involved in the killing of 02 TA Jawans in Bhimdassa, Gool. Security Forces had
been hot on the heels of Abu Musa who had many close shaves in the recent
past. After the killing of TA Jawans in
Bhimdassa, he alongwith his associates had been trapped by the Security Forces
in a cordon on January 4, 2011 from where he had managed to break the cordon
taking advantage of darkness and escaped.
With the killing of Abu Musa, LeT has been almost wiped out
from District Ramban. It may be recalled
that another dreaded terrorist of HM namely Qari Zubair alongwith his two
associates had been neutralized in February 2011. The last call of Qari Zubair before his
killing was to Abu Musa where he had requested the later to take revenge of his
killing by eliminating the SF sources and killing some SF officers/Jawans. Killing
of these terrorist is a great success to the Police forces and security forces,
as it will give a severe blow to the outfit in the area.