M A I N   N E W S

17 militants killed in J & K

SRINAGAR, Oct 19 (PTI) — Security forces shot dead 17 militants, arrested four others, including a top ranking militant of Al-Badre outfit and recovered 6.3 kg of RDX, besides arms and ammunition during separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir since last yesterday.

Security forces shot dead a militant when he was trying to hurl a grenade on their post at Shadipora area in Baramula district last night, an official spokesman said.

He said another militant was gunned down in an encounter at Kandi forest in Kupwara last evening.

Fifteen militants, including seven belonging to the Lashker-e-Toiba outfit, were killed in separate encounters in Jammu’s Udhampur district, official sources said.

Special Operations Group of the state police arrested a top militant of Al-Badre, Ghulam Mohammad Parra - from Zazuna village in Srinagar today, the spokesman said.

Mansoor Ahmad Wani, alias “Waheed Boya”, a Hizb militant was arrested from Kanlibagh area of Baramula. Another militant was arrested from the Magam bus stand in the district.

The police busted a militant hideout of Al-Badre outfit at Handwara in Kupwara and arrested a militant yesterday.

In the Pir Panjal belt in Mahore area, security forces launched “pre-winter operations” in Phagala, Deval Doke and Thinmarg Doke areas of Udhampur district, the sources said.

In the encounters, four militants were killed at Phagala, three at Deval Doke and eight at Thinmarg Doke. Two of them belonged to Jehad-e-Muslim. Arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from them, they added.

The security forces also seized 13 AK rifles, 22 magazines, 2090 rounds, seven pistols, 19 hand grenades, seven IEDs, four rockets, 20 rifle grenades and a large quantity of explosive material from the slain militants, the sources added.

Sources said the Jammu and Kashmir police conducted a search operation at Sathra village in Poonch district last evening. During the raid the police seized arms and ammunition which included an AK 56 rifle, one pistol silencer, two rifle grenades, one remote control, one rocket, one time device with battery, four magazines and 110 rounds.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing and shelling last evening, targeting at least 12 border outposts in Poonch, Rajouri, R.S. Pora, Samba and Akhnoor sectors. However, there were no reports of any casualty or damage to property.