How Qasim Was Killed

Khandeypora:- J&K Police along with Army personnel from 9 RR and 18 Battalion CRPF laid an ambush at around 12 AM Wednesday night after receiving inputs that that a group of militants was scheduled to pass through Khandeypora hamlet.
Sources said that after waiting for over two hours, a group of three militants emerged in the area and as they reached near power transformer adjacent to a local Masjid, the ambush party fired upon them. Taken unawares over the presence of government forces, one militant according to sources died on the spot while two other militants managed to escape. The slain militant was later identified as Abdul Rehman alias Abu Qasim, the most wanted LeT commander allegedly responsible for multiple militant attacks all across Kashmir, sources added.
A resident of Khandeypora village said that they heard some gunshots at around 2AM. After few moments of silence, we heard the movement of troops. Panic gripped the area after somebody used public address system informing residents about the crackdown and asked us to come out of houses. People came out in large numbers while soldiers launched a massive search operation, he said adding that as the people came to know about the death of a militant, they started raising pro-freedom slogans.
Locals said that government forces had inputs that two militants including one Majid Ahmed Zargar of Khudwani Kulgam have been hiding in the village. In a bid to persuade Zargar to surrender before Army, his brother Feroz Ahmed was brought in from his house and was directed to use Public Address System asking his brother to surrender without any delay, the locals said.
They said that Feroz repeatedly asked his brother Majid to surrender but there was no response from any side. As the news about the death of Qasim spread in and around the area, people in large numbers marched towards Khandeypora that was sealed by government forces. Showing stiff resistance, the protesters amid pro-freedom and anti-India slogans attacked government forces with stones. In a bid to disperse the protesters, government forces resorted to aerial firing and lobbed dozens of tear-smoke shells. The protesters by now thousands in number broke the cordon and entered into the village, forcing the government forces to call of the operation, sources and witnesses said.
However, residents said, before leaving the area, government forces picked up the body of the slain militant and took it to police station Kulgam. The Government forces were planning to launch a massive operation against the hiding militants but the protesters forced them to leave the village, they said and claimed a youth from Khudwani whom they identified as Aqib Ahmed Sofi was detained and whisked away by police to some unknown destination.
Some residents alleged that it was not the body of LeT commander Abu Qasim, a claim refuted by police. Deputy Inspector General of Police South Kashmir Range, Nitesh Kumar said that, Abu Qasim was killed in an ambush while two other militants managed to escape, he said added that the body of Qasim was handed over to local Auqaf Committee for last rites.
Security and strategic affairs expert Commodore (retd) Uday Bhaskar on Thursday said that the neutralization of top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Qasim is a ‘significant development’, as it would degrade the capacity of the militant group to operate in Kashmir.
“The neutralization of the LeT commander Abu Qasim is a significant development. It would degrade the capacity of Lashkar-e-Taiba to operate in Kashmir in the manner in which they have in the last few months,” Commodore (retd) Bhaskar wasc quoted as saying.
Uday Bhaskar further said that Qasim had been on the radar of Indian security forces for a long time.
Former Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ashok Prasad in an interview with CNS had labeled Qasim as a dreaded militant and the mastermind of most of the attacks that militants carried out in Kashmir. Once we will be able to neutralize Qasim, militancy in Kashmir particularly in South Kashmir will receive a jolt and it will die its own death.

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