M A I N   N E W S

14 ultras killed in Kashmir

Srinagar, September 30
Five security personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), and two militants were killed in a fierce clash at Janbazpora, about 62 km from here in north Kashmir, today while elsewhere in the valley two security jawans and four ultras were among seven persons killed overnight.

Official sources said a group of militants, reportedly fidayeen, ambushed an Army convoy at Janbazpora in Baramula district around 12 noon today.

The troops also retaliated and in the exchange of fire which continued for about 15 minutes during which four security personnel were killed and an officer injured. The JCO later died in the hospital.

The area has been cordoned off and a massive search launched to nab the militants.

The body of an unidentified militant was also recovered from the nearby fields, the sources said. One AK rifle, one rocket and three hand grenades were recovered from near the body of the slain militant.

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba has claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was a fidayeen strike on the convoy.

Officials, however, said two soldiers were killed and six others injured. Two militants were also killed in the clash.

In other incidents, the security forces killed two Pakistani infiltrators when they sneaked into this side at Tara Post in Baramula district early on Sunday. Some arms and ammunition were also recovered from the slain militants.

People at Batapora took to streets when the body of Ghulam Nabi Sheikh, a resident of  Rafabad, was handed over to his relatives today.

The demonstrators alleged that Sheikh was arrested by the security forces last night from a house at Batapora.

Meanwhile, two security jawans, who sustained bullet wounds during an encounter at Handwara yesterday, died in a hospital last night.

The security forces killed one militant each at Panziware forest and Zawan Fali forward post in Kupwara district last night. Two AK rifles, five magazines, one wireless set and one grenade were seized.

Militants lobbed a hand grenade followed by firing on a police post at telephone exchange Aishmuqam in south Kashmir last night. The guards also retaliated and in the exchange, a special police officer was injured.

The militants, however, escaped, the sources added.

An official spokesman said militants kidnapped and later killed two persons — Nazir Ahmad Ganai and Bilal Ahmad Ganai at Ratnipora Bonagam in north Kashmir today. The security forces killed four militants in the Gurez sector in an encounter late last night, further details of the encounter were awaited.

Militants entered the house of Abdul Samad and fired upon the inmates indiscriminately with automatic weapons resulting in on-the-spot death of house owner and injuries to three others. The injured were hospitalised, he said.

The spokesman said two unidentified bodies were recovered from Panjtirthy forest last night while Mohammad Aslam was killed in a shoot-out between militants and the security forces at Azamabad village.

The security forces killed two militants during a search operation at Guli Pindi Top while with the recovery of two more bodies in the Ari sector in Poonch district, the toll of militants in the encounter has risen to seven. Six AK rifles, three wireless sets, 24 magazines and 20 hand grenades were recovered from the slain militants.

He said one girl, Shaheena, daughter of Mohammad Abdullah Bhat, who was shot at and injured by unidentified gunmen at Pattan last evening died in a hospital today. UNI

Airports on alert

Kolkata, September 30
All airports in the country have been alerted following reports of a threat by a new Jammu and Kashmir based terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammed to hijack aircraft within the next 48 hours, senior officials of Nataji Subash Chandra Bose Airport said here tonight. The group, it is learnt, is planning to hijack Indian aircraft and use them like the hijackers used airplanes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the USA on September 11, officials added. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, is a breakaway faction of a pro-Pakistani group, composed mainly of terrorist elements. UNI