M A I N   N E W S

17 militants killed in J&K

Srinagar, June 5
Three security personnel and 15 militants, mostly foreigners, were among 20 persons killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours.

An official spokesman said 10 militants, reportedly foreigners and a security personnel were killed in a fierce encounter between militants and the security forces at Chingus in Rajouri district of the Jammu division today.

In another encounter at Sawjian in Poonch district a militant was killed. One civilian also died in the shootout. One AK rifle with a magazine were seized from the slain militant.

A soldier and two foreign militants were killed in an encounter at Handwara last evening while a militant of Al-Badr was gunned down by the security forces at Rasoo-Aarth in the Central Kashmir district of Badgam today.

The forces killed a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant in an encounter at Ashpora village in Kupwara district last night. One AK rifle and five magazines were seized from the slain militant. A jawan also died in the clash.

Panic gripped the Buchpora area of the city when militants shot dead a former militant Imtiyaz Ahmad early this morning while Bashir Ahmad Khanday was shot and wounded by militants at Mattan last evening.

JAMMU: Top leader of pro-Pakistani militant outfit Harkat-ul-Ansar was among three persons killed in militancy related incidents in Doda, Udhampur and Rajouri districts of Jammu region since Monday night, official sources said on Tuesday.

A special operation by the police in the Gandoh area of Doda district on Monday resulted in a fierce gunbattle with armed Harkat militants, holed up in a hideout, in which a tehsil commander of the outfit, identified as Zakir Hussain, was killed on the spot.

In another encounter, a militant was killed in the Kanan forest area in Rajouri on Monday night.

Seven militants, suspected to be of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Surankot area of Jammu region on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off security forces launched a search operation. In the ensuing shootout, which lasted for about one and a half hours, seven of them were killed. Seven AK 56 rifles, 17 magazines, 252 rounds of ammunition, seven hand grenades, a radio set and a timer device have been recovered from the slain militants. PTI, UNI