20000226

Indian commandos slaughter 14 villagers near LoC

NAKIAL: In a midnight attack, the Indian commandos slaughtered 14 person, including seven women of the same family, and injured two others in Lanjot village near here on the night between Thursday and Friday.

"The attackers took away the heads of three victims, including a woman, with them," a police officer told Internews here on Friday. "One person succeeded in saving his life by fleeing from the scene. However, he also received bullet injuries," he added.

According to the police officer, the Indian troops pounded Lanjot village adjacent to the Line of Control the whole day on Thursday. By midnight, an unidentified number of Indian commandos entered the village under cover of artillery fire, he added.

The police officer said that a function was arranged at the targeted house, belonging to Abdul Hamid son of Mir Wali and situated on 'no man's land', on Thursday and Hamid's several relatives had gathered at his house.

"Amid load-shedding of power at about midnight, the Indian guerrillas attacked Hamid's house and cut the necks of sleeping persons," the police officer said. "They also fired bullet shots on the dead victims," he said.

During the attack, one of the house inmates, namely Mohammad Younas son of Lal Baig, woke up and jumped out of a window, the police officer said. As soon as Younas rang the alarm, he said, the assailants fired at him which resulted in serious bullet injuries.

"After committing the barbaric crime, the Indian commandos returned to their posts and, before leaving the scene of the incident, they threw about the dead bodies of the victims around the house," the police officer said.

The victims included Ghulam Murtaza son of Abdul Hamid, Mohammad Alam son of Mir Wali, Maulvi Faiz Mohammad, Amar son of Niaz, Sarwar Begum wife of Abdul Hamid, Khurshid Begum wife of Niaz, Parveen Akhtar wife of Mohammad Younas, Khadija daughter of Abdul Hamid, Sehrish daughter of Mohammad Younas, Syed Bibi wife of Mohammad Younas, Mohammad Ahmed son of Niaz, Kali Begum wife of Ghulam Murtaza, Mohammad Akhlaq son of Mohammad Hanif and Mohammad Farhad son of Niaz Ahmed.

"The attackers took away with them the heads of three victims Mohammad Ahmed, Kali Begum and Mohammad Akhlaq," police officer said. "Besides Younas, his son Tehsin also sustained injuries in the brutal action of the Indian troops," he added.-Internews