Body of militant behind Kashmir highway attack found: Police

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The body of one of the two militants, who attacked a police party on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway in Jammu and Kashmir on July 31, was recovered on Monday from a stream in 's Baramulla district, police said.

The killed militant was involved in a number of attacks on cell phone infrastructure, police said.

A police statement said that two militants, in a Tavera vehicle (registration No. JK01Q-8792) had on Friday fired upon 'naka' (checkpost) party headed by Inspector Mohammad Saleem, station house officer (SHO) of Pattan police station at Mirgund on the highway, when called to stop.

Saleem and three other police personnel were injured.

It said that immediately afterwards, all checkpoints on the roads were activated, and one such police/army party challenged the fleeing militants, leading to one of the militants jumping into the Ferozpur 'Nallah' (rivulet) in which he got drowned.

"Today (Monday) in the morning, some civilians of Gulabwari Sumbal spotted a dead body in Ferozpur Nallah. Police took the body into the custody and the body was later identified as of Tariq Ahmad Mir alias Zahid Arif, divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).

"The said militant was a close associate of Qayoom Najar and an active member of Lashkar-e-Islam militant outfit," the statement said, adding Mir was involved in a number of attacks including the recent Sopore attacks.

"The militant was involved in a number of killings, planting of IEDs and attacks on cellular towers in north Kashmir."

Security forces claim Najar heads Lashkar-e-Islam - a breakaway faction of the HM - involved in attacks on mobile phone operations in north and central Kashmir areas.