M A I N   N E W S

Army convoy attacked, 4 dead

Srinagar, July 21
Four persons were killed and 15 injured in an attack on an Army convoy by militants of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba at Khanabal on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway last evening. Two of the deceased and 13 of the injured were soldiers, official said.

Elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior Army officer and 18 militants were among 21 persons killed overnight.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said the militants attacked the convoy with automatic weapons at Khanabal, about 52 km from here.

Security personnel retaliated and in the ensuing encounter militants killed a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and a jawan and injured 13 Army-men.

Four bystanders were hit by stray bullets. Two of them died before they could be shifted to hospital. This was the fourth attack on an Army convoy on the highway during the past one month.

The spokesman said in another attack, an Army officer was killed when militants fired at a search party at Galiwali Bhaik forest in the frontier district of Kupwara last evening.

In a separate incident, troops shot dead three Afghan militants in an encounter at Lune Hare forest in Kupwara. Three rifles, five magazines and 72 rounds were recovered from them.

An official spokesman said the Army and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir police, in a joint operation, killed three militants of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba at Razwan Magam in the central Kashmir district of Badgam last evening.

The slain militants were identified as Abu Umar, Fayaz Ahmad Wani and Tariq Ahmad Sheikh. Two rifles, a pistol, eight magazines, 11 grenades, two pouches, a wireless set and 93 rounds were recovered from them.

In other incidents, forces gunned down a militant each at Kalaroos, Eenigape post near the Line of Actual Control and Nagri in north Kashmir since last evening.

Three rifles, nine magazines, four grenades and 270 rounds were recovered from them.

Also, militants shot dead former militant Nazir Ahmad at Sangus while the body of Bashir Ahmad was recovered from a nullah at Reshanpora in the frontier district of Kupwara last evening.

In a separate incident, the security forces gunned down four militants at Shila in the Sawjian Sector during an encounter.

Four rifles, 20 magazines, 750 rounds, an RPG with a booster, a 60 mm mortar bomb, 20 grenades, 40 detonators and 35 improvised explosive devices were recovered near the encounter site. UNI