M A I N   N E W S

14 killed, 12 hurt in J&K

Srinagar, September 16
Fourteen persons, including nine militants and two security personnel, were killed and 12 others wounded as militants stepped up violence across Jammu and Kashmir today even after suffering a major blow to their plans when security forces busted eight of their hideouts recovering a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including 11.5 kg of RDX.

One person was killed and seven others, including a jawan, injured when militants hurled a grenade at a security picket near the famous shrine of Dastegeer Sahib at Khanyar in downtown Srinagar this afternoon, an official spokesman said.

Militants abducted a teacher and a student in Anantnag district last night. While the beheaded body of the teacher, Nazir Ahmad Rather, was picked up from Selhpora-Kulgam village, the student, Abdul Hamid Malik, was let off after injuring him in leg. The beheaded body of another civilian kidnapped by militants from Mura village of Pulwama district last night was recovered today from Dreeri village.

Three Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and a jawan were killed and four jawans wounded in an encounter at Narwan Zainpora-Shopian in the same district today. In another encounter at check Nannar in the Tral area of Pulwama district, two unidentified militants were killed.

A jawan was killed when militants and security forces exchanged fire at Machil in frontier district of Kupwra, he said. Two unidentified militants were killed by security forces at Narianpur in the district today. A militant was killed in an encounter between militants and a joint party of police and security forces at Chingla top in Doda district.

A Jaish-e-Mohammad militant, Nazar Mohammad, alias Akram of Habar Kaskote Banihal, was killed in an inter-group clash in Doda district today, the spokesman said.

VDC member Ghulam Mohammad, who was abducted by militants on Sunday, was rescued by security forces at Hola Gandoh in Doda district today. — PTI