J&K: 12-year-old boy held hostage, killed despite mother’s appeal to militants indianexpress.com

A 12-year-old boy held hostage in Bandipora for around nine hours was killed Friday by militants before they were gunned down by security forces, police said. While the boy’s uncle, who was also held hostage was rescued Thursday, police said militants refused to let the boy out despite pleas on loudspeakers by his family. Until Friday morning, Shareefa Jan, held hope that her 12-year-old son, Atif Mir, might come out alive amid the raging gunfight between militants and security forces in north Kashmir’s Hajin village. But when the 24-hour gun battle ended in the afternoon, that hope shattered.