Two members of the Village Defence Group (VDG) were slain in a suspected terrorist incident in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. The bodies have not yet been recovered by security forces. In the meantime, authorities have initiated a large-scale search effort for Village Defence Group members Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar. They both visited the nearby forest to let their cattle graze but failed to come back.
In the meantime, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah denounced the murder of two VDG members in Kishtwar.
He stated that these acts of brutal violence continue to be a major hurdle to attaining lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir. His prayers and thoughts are with the families of the departed during this time of sorrow.
The Kashmir Tigers have claimed responsibility for this killing. In a statement released by Kashmir Tigers, it was mentioned that two active VDG soldiers, Kuldeep Kumar and Nazir, arrived in the Kishtwar area pursuing Mujahideen Islam. At first, Kashmir’s Mujahideen overlooked them; however, they continued pursuing and approached them closely. Subsequently, the Mujahideen apprehended them, and they both admitted to their offenses. Subsequently, they faced punishment.
A high-ranking official stated that there have been terrorist actions observed in this region for the last few months. He mentioned that there were instances of gunfire between terrorists and security forces in this area during the recently conducted assembly elections on at least two occasions.
At the same time, sources indicated that the VDGs had traveled to the Kuntawada forests in Chatroo with livestock in the morning. They didn’t come back until evening. Prior to the villagers reaching out to the police, the militants published images of the VDGs, claiming they had been murdered.
Kuldeep Kumar’s sibling Prithvi mentioned that we have learned that my brother was abducted and murdered by terrorists alongside Ahmed. They were VDGs and had gone out to graze the cattle as they typically did. He mentioned that a large-scale search effort is in progress, but the remains of the deceased have not been found yet. Prithvi stated that his father Amar Chand passed away a week prior, and the news about his brother is another significant setback for the family.
Conversely, gunfire was detected during a search and cordon operation in the Sagipora region of Sopore, located in North Kashmir. A police official stated that on a particular input, a combined team of police and military initiated a cordon and search operation in Sagipora on Thursday evening.
He mentioned that during the search, gunfire was heard, leading to a tightening of the security perimeter around the area. The confrontation began when combined security forces initiated a large-scale cordon and search operation in Sopore. It is thought that two to three terrorists are cornered.