In what is being termed as a major breakthrough against Islamist militants, the Army and Jammu and Kashmir police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) on Tuesday killed the “operation chief” of Jaish-e-Muhammad group in a joint operation carried out in a remote village of the state’s Lolab valley close to the Line of Control (LoC).
The slain militant had given the security forces a slip during several similar operations in the past and, in fact, was injured in an encounter on July 10 in Kawari area of frontier Kupwara district. An Army jawan was killed in that clash.
Officials here said that the operation by Army’s 18 Rashtriya Rifles and the SOG men from Kupwara was launched on specific information about the presence of a militant in Gadwal village during the intervening night of July 22 and 23. “A cordon to the area was laid overnight and a search operation launched at 5.30 am today (Tuesday),” said a police spokesperson here. He added that the militant hiding in a cowshed adjacent to the house of one Muhammad Amin Malla opened fire on the search party which was quickly returned and in the ensuring gunfight he was killed. “He was later identified as Qari Yasir alias Khalid Bhat, one of the ten top most wanted militants, and ‘operation chief’ of the Jaish,” the spokesperson said. One AK assault rifle with three magazines and 86 live ammunition and three hand grenades were found on the slain militant.
Qari Yasir was a resident of Nooristan in Pakistan’s Swat area and had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir in 2006. “He quickly gained his order in the outfit from a platoon commander to chief commander of JeM. He was active in Rajwar, Lolab, Handwara, Vodhpura, Kandi, Chandigam areas of Kupwara district,” police said. It claimed that besides being involved in eleven militancy-related cases in North-West Kashmir, Qari was active towards facilitating infiltration of the new ranks of militants along the LoC. Police also said that he was in touch with Seed Baba alias Mufti Sahib of the Jaish across in Pakistan who used to facilitate infiltration from Keran and Machil sectors of Kupwara.
In a separate statement, the Army said, “It was a fine example of surgical operation based on credible information and synergy between security forces.” Army also said five columns of RR units accompanied by SOG personnel were involved in the operation.”