A young Army officer, attending a wedding in Kashmir on Tuesday night was kidnapped and killed by terrorists. Lieutenant Umar Fayyaz joined the Indian Army five months back, and his bullet ridden body was found in Shopian.
The officer was on a leave and attending his cousin’s marriage at Kulgaon. He was kidnapped at 10:00 P.M., and found hours later with bullet wounds in the head and the abdomen. Army sources said Fayyaz was “Young and full of life, the officer was just commissioned in December.” The officials also said this has become an issue with the terrorists as they are also targeting officers that are off duty. The Army issued an advisory to the officers that prohibits them from visiting ancestral homes, especially in South Kashmir areas. The officers have observed increased militant activity in Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag and Kulgam of South Kashmir.
This has been possible as more and more locals in the Southern Kashmir have shown their support to the terrorists that are roaming the countryside openly. The officials said this has created a nuisance to fighting the terrorists as the locals put up resistance. On Thursday, the Kashmir forces conducted a combing operation, which was considered one of the largest after the 1990s. This included aerial search by helicopters and also unmanned vehicles. By the end, an attack by terrorists cost two soldier and one civilian their lives.
