In a remote hamlet in the Mahore belt of Jammu and Kashmir바카라s Reasi district that was once a hotbed of militancy, villagers who displayed exemplary courage by overpowering two heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists say they are determined not to let militants regain ground.
The terrorists who were later identified as the most-wanted LeT commander Talib Hussain Shah - the mastermind behind a series of explosions in his home district Rajouri - and his associate Faisal Ahmad Dar of south Kashmir바카라s Pulwama district were escaping the dragnet of security forces and had reached the village for shelter on Saturday night.
The six close relatives kept their wits about them as they took on the two armed terrorists bare-handed in an hour-long confrontation in the hilltop village that can be reached only after trekking for over two hours from the last motorable road.
바카라When I returned to my 'dhok' (hamlet) in the evening (on Saturday) after work, I saw two unknown persons inside the house and got suspicious as they introduced themselves as businessmen. They ordered me to switch off the mobile and keep it on the floor. They also restricted me from going outside,바카라 Mohammad Yousuf said.
As it was dark, Yousuf said, he tricked the terrorists by keeping his mobile phone on the ground with one hand and swooping it up with the other before pleading with them to let him go outside to attend nature's call.
Outside the premises, Yousuf said he telephoned his brother and told him that this might be 바카라our last conversation as some people have come to my house and collected all the information about our extended family. They might kill us all.바카라
Panicked by the phone call, his brother Nazir Ahmad contacted other relatives 바카라 Roshan Din, Shamsuddin, Mushtaq Ahmad and Mohammad Iqbal 바카라 and they together decided to take on the terrorists as it would have taken a lot of time for the security forces to reach the densely forested area.
바카라When we reached there in the dead of the night, we saw the terrorists sleeping inside the house while Yousuf also lay nearby. We did not disturb them and waited for the first light of the day to ensure that they were not able to escape,바카라 Ahmad said.
Iqbal said four of them went inside the premises on Sunday morning and two others stood guard outside. Once they realised that the terrorists had hidden their arms inside a bag, they decided to get their hands on it first.
바카라We tactfully snatched the bag containing the huge cache of arms and ammunition and then pounced upon them. Shah resisted and tried to break free and even reached the door of the house during the hour-long scuffle inside. Mushtaq slapped the terrorist several times and we brought him under control,바카라 he said.
Iqbal said they could overcome their fear because the army and police have been regularly interacting with them and delivering motivational lectures to tackle such a situation.
바카라Mahore was once a hotbed of militancy and the people had heaved a sigh of relief when the menace was wiped out by the army over a decade ago. We stand with our army and police and will not allow terrorism to take roots here once again,바카라 Mushtaq said.
Their bravery drew appreciation from all across with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Director General of Police Dilbag Singh immediately announcing a cash reward of Rs five lakh and Rs two lakh respectively for their courageous act.
바카라I salute the bravery of villagers of Tukson Dhok, Reasi, who apprehended two-most wanted terrorists. Such determination by the common man shows the end of terrorism is not far away. UT Govt to extend Rs five lakh cash reward to villagers for the gallant act against terrorists and terrorism,바카라 the office of LG had tweeted.
The villagers said they have taken a grave risk and their families have to live under constant threat from now, but the six men now want to join the police or any other security force.
바카라We want the government to provide us jobs in the police or any other security agency. We are ready to don the uniform to safeguard our family and serve the nation,바카라 Mushtaq said.
The villagers said they had not seen the terrorists before and they were apparently moving from Rajouri to south Kashmir바카라s Kulgam district which is linked to Mahore through mountain routes.
Shamsuddin said terrorists have no religion and those taking up arms against the country are enemies of the people.
바카라God has made us all and we are proud to be Indians where we all live together in communal harmony and brotherhood,바카라 he said.
The Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh, who visited Mahore on Monday to personally appreciate the villagers for their bravery, said Pakistan and its agencies through terror groups are making repeated attempts to revive terrorism in Jammu province but 바카라Jammu police have played an appreciable role in thwarting their attempts.바카라
The villagers ''have given clear-cut message that we will not allow a revival of terrorism,바카라 the DGP had said.
He said the people of remote areas have seen the brute face of the menace when the terrorists used to forcibly intrude into their homes, take shelter and even exploit women.
바카라The villagers have done a great job which is praiseworthy. The people need to imitate them in elsewhere as well as these terrorists are shedding innocent blood at the behest of Pakistan and its agencies,바카라 he said.
(With PTI inputs)
