JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Two village defence guards (VDGs) were abducted and murdered in Kishtwar district of Jammu region Thursday morning amid rising civilian casualties in terrorist attacks in J&K. The two men — identified as Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar — from the remote village of Ohli Kuntwara, were targeted by Kashmir Tigers, a faction tied to Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Kashmir Tigers posted photos of Ahmed and Kumar on social media, claiming the men were killed for “chasing Mujahideen Islam in the dense forests of Kishtwar.” In the post, the group warned locals: “Some ignorant people are joining the VDG and becoming a tool of the Army…take a lesson from today’s situation…don’t be a part; otherwise, you will have to suffer the same fate.”
Police refuted the group’s narrative, clarifying that Ahmed and Kumar were unarmed, grazing cattle when they were abducted, blindfolded, and executed. “A search operation is underway in nearby forests,” said an officer.
CM Omar Abdullah and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah described the Kishtwar killings as acts of “barbaric violence” that obstruct efforts toward peace in J&K.
This marks the first targeted attack on VDGs in Jammu region since April 28, when village guard M Sharif was killed during a security operation in Udhampur’s Basantgarh.
Later Thursday, a gunfight erupted between security forces and terrorists at Sagipora in Baramulla district’s Sopore area. No fatalities have been reported, but the operation is ongoing as two to three terrorists are believed to be cornered in a house.
Terrorist attacks have escalated since the elected govt assumed office in J&K after a six-year gap. On Oct 14, an ambush near Gulmarg in Baramulla killed two soldiers and two civilian porters. In Shopian, a migrant worker from Bihar was fatally shot on Oct 18, followed by the murder of seven tunnel construction workers in Ganderbal on Oct 20.
In response to the violence, security forces have intensified their crackdown, including Thursday’s Sagipora operation, the third shootout in three days. The security sweep has led to the deaths of seven terrorists in recent days: one each in Bandipora and Kupwara on Nov 6, two in Bandipora on Nov 5, and three others, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Usman, in Srinagar and Anantnag on Nov 2.
However, terrorists retaliated with a grenade attack on Nov 3, wounding 12 people in a busy Srinagar market.