M A I N   N E W S

21 hurt in mosque blasts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 9
Twentyone persons were wounded, three of them seriously, as terrorists exploded two grenades in a mosque in the heart of the town when a large number of people were offering their Friday prayers.

The condition of Mr Abdul Rashid Khan, security personnel in the Secretariat, who had gone to offer prayers, was stated to be critical. He has been shifted to the intensive care unit where he has been put on oxygen.

Two girls were also injured in the attack.

Two terrorists hurled grenades at about 1.30 pm when the mosque in the Lakhdata Bazar was jampacked. There was panic as the first grenade hit the rooftop of the mosque. The other one exploded in the narrow lane.

Security personnel outside the mosque opened fire at the militants, but they escaped in the melee.

Security forces have encircled the area which was being searched. All shops in the main bazaars in the interior of the city were closed because of the panic that followed.

The injured persons were immediately rushed to the medical college hospital for treatment.

This is second such incident in the city during the past couple of days. Terrorists threw hand grenades in the busy Indira Chowk near the general bus stand about 10 days ago. Nine persons were injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, Army personnel killed four top militants belonging to the Hizbul-Mujaheedin outfit, including a self-styled area commander, in an encounter in the Kashtigarh forests of Doda today.

Men of the Rashtriya Rifles launched a search in the forest when they came under an attack by these terrorists.

According to PTI, the police authorities have sounded a red alert in Jammu city in the wake of the blast and all exit and entry points have been sealed.

SRINAGAR: Security forces killed five militants and arrested five others in the Kashmir valley on Friday.

Security forces, during a routine search at Zero Bridge here, apprehended Abdul Hamid, a resident of Sarnah-Koot in the frontier district of Kupwara, and seized fake currency worth Rs 49,000 from him, an official spokesman said.

He said security forces killed three militants in an encounter at Sonapathri-Bandipora in the north Kashmir district of Baramula on Friday.

The encounter ensued after a security forces search party came under fire from the militants in the village.

Details of the seizure of arms and ammunition were not available till then, he said.

He said two more militants of the Al-Badr outfit were gunned down by the security forces on Thursday night at Gundi Chabootra village in Kupwara district. Some arms and ammunition were also seized from the slain militants.

Security forces recovered the bullet-ridden body of Abdul Rehman Rather from Kanigund-Beerwah village in the central Kashmir district of Badgam on Friday, the spokesman said.

He said a blast took place on the veranda of the house of Ghjulam Nabi at Naroopora-Kokernag in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag on Friday partially damaging the house.

However, nobody was hurt in the blast.

Security forces apprehended two militants of the Al-Fateh outfit from Bandipora in north Kashmir and seized two assault rifles, six RPG rounds, one binocular and some incriminating documents from them.

Two more militants were arrested by security forces from the Rainawari area in the down town city on Thursday evening and two pistols and a hand grenade were seized from them.

Security forces also seized one pistol and a hand grenade from a militant hideout at Malanga forest in Bandipora during a routine search operation, the spokesman said. — UNI