M A I N   N E W S

2 dead, 11 hurt in blast
Mosque siege ends; another encounter on
Tribune News Service and PTI

SRINAGAR, March 27 — At least nine persons, including five militants, were killed and 14 others were injured while the security forces apprehended four suspects and found a large quantity of arms and ammunition in the Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Two pedestrians, including a woman, were killed and at least 11 others were injured when militants hurled a grenade in Nowpora market in the Bandipore area of Baramula district this afternoon. Those killed have been identified as Ghulam Mohammad Kuchey and Azi. The injured were shifted to Srinagar for treatment.

This is the third such incident in Bandipore town over the past two months. However, there were no casualties in the last two incidents in which over half a dozen pedestrians were injured.

Two militants were reportedly killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Kandi area of Kupwara district in North Kashmir today. The encounter between the hiding militants in the deep woods and the Army was going on till the last reports came in. The identity of those killed was yet to be ascertained.

Two militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Wabugh-Krankashivan near Sopore town of Baramula district yesterday afternoon.

Those killed were identified as Ali Mohammad Soti and Altaf Ahmad Ganai, both residents of the same area. The two persons were brought down from a Matador and later shot dead.

All the three militants, who hid themselves in a mosque in Handwara town in North Kashmir and were later killed in an Army action were Pakistani nationals, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Ashok Bhan said today.

Affiliated with Al-Badr, they were identified as Shamsher, Fatimi Chotu and Abdullah, alias Mujahid-ul-Islam, IGP Bhan said.

However, an Army spokesman said the slain militants were activists of Pak-based Lashker-e-Toiba.

Troops, which ringed the mosque at Check-e-Dedikote in Kupwara, district some 90 km from here, pulled out today after a two-day siege ended with the killing of the three militants.

Security forces pulled out after the third militant was killed late last night in the Army action, the police said.

The other two ultras were killed when they jumped out of the mosque and tried to escape after setting off an explosion which slightly damaged the mosque.

Two AK-47 rifles, a gun and some ammunition were recovered from the scene of gunfight, the police said.

The Army spokesman said during the entire operation, troops exercised tremendous restraint and used only light weapons to return the fire.

He said the intensity of firing by militants increased suddenly last evening. This was followed by an explosion during which the two militants tried to escape and were killed.

Scribes who wanted to visit the village today were not allowed to proceed from Handwara onwards.

Two soldiers, including a Major, were killed and another wounded in the operation lasting nearly 50 hours, the police said.

The militants took shelter in the mosque on Saturday after being chased by the security forces during a combing operation in the village.

In the other explosion, a 12-year-old shepherd boy, Mohammad Afzal Khan was killed when he tried to fiddle with a blind-shell at Paran-Pilla Behak near the Line of Control in the Uri sector of North Kashmir today.

Pakistani troops also resorted to shelling at forward Indian positions along the LoC in Karnah sector in Kupwara, official sources said.