Troops arrest four Albadar Mujahideen militants while on way to cross Line of Control

SRINAGAR: Security forces have arrested four recently recruited Albadar Mujahideen militants after intercepting them while they were trying to cross to the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) for receiving arms training, in Kalaroos forest area of the border district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir. However, three of their accomplices managed to give the slip to security forces.

Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that they received credible information that four newly recruited local militants of Al Badar had to go to the other side of the LoC for receiving arms training.

"We had information that they will be guided by three Al Badar militants. Accordingly, police and Army men laid an ambush in Kalaroos forest area of Kupwara to trap the militants and prevent them from exfiltrating to the other side of the LoC," the spokesman said.

The security personnel trapped the militants in the ambush in Nag Dagi forests of Kalaroos.

An Army official said the militants fired on the security personnel and the troops returned the fire.

"After the initial exchange of fire, security personnel launched a combing and search operation in the forest area. After a nearly two-hour-long search operation, security personnel found four militants and overpowered and arrested them," he said.

He said some arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession.

"However, three militants who were guiding the newly-recruited militants deserted them and fled during the exchange of gunfire," the Army official said.

The police and the Army launched a combing operation in the forest area to track down the three militants.

However, the militants managed to give the slip to the security men.

Pictures of the four gun-wielding youth, who surrendered before security forces on Sunday, had gone viral on social media on Saturday.

In the pictures, the youth had announced their joining Al Badar Mujahideen. The four were identified as 23-year-old Umar Bashir Sheikh, Danish Khazer Sheikh, 22, Waseem Ahmad Khan, 22, and Tariq Ahmad Bhat, 22, all locals.

Among the four, Waseem is an MBA student.

The Army official said it was because of a strong counter-infiltration grid that the youth were intercepted and prevented from crossing the LoC to receive arms training.