South Kashmir family claims missing son among 5 killed in Keran operation

Lockdown at Bandipora in north Kashmir. The five militants and five personnel of the Para (Special Forces) were killed in “hand-to-hand” combat that began on April 1. (Express photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

A family from south Kashmir' Shopian district has claimed that one of the five militants killed in a fierce gunfight near the Line of Control in Kupwara last week was their son who had been missing since 2018.

The family of Sajad Ahmad Hurra from Daramdora village at Keegam in Shopian said they recognised Sajad through pictures of the slain militants that went viral on social media Tuesday.

Neither the Jammu and Kashmir Police nor the Army have revealed the identity of the militants killed in the encounter. The five militants and five personnel of the Para (Special Forces) were killed in “hand-to-hand” combat that began on April 1. All the militants were buried in a forward area in Kupwara on Wednesday

“In April 2018, my son left Kashmir saying he was travelling to Saudi Arabia as he had got a visa. After he left, we were in touch with him. In phone calls later, he said he was in Delhi. Since then, we have no information about him. We saw a picture from the Keran operation…