The encounter lasted for two hours indicating the strike power of the foreign mercenaries.

The village has been cordoned off and research operation launched to ensure there are no more militants hiding in the Khor forest belt. The Defence Ministry sources said, in the past one week the troops had achieved major successes by eliminating more than 25 hardcore militants belonging to the Harkat-ul-Ansar and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfits in the Rajouri and Udhampur areas.

In Khanol village in Mohar militants damaged a culvert with IED. However, there was no casualty.

Militants barged into a house in Fasalabad village of Poonch and killed Begum Sugra.

In another incident at Tathri in Doda district militants dragged Mohammed Shafi out of his house and killed him on the road.

Militants shot at and critically wounded a counter-insurgent, Sajad Ahmad associated with Ikhwan at Karatara in Anantnag district last night.

The security forces also found a live grenade lying near a security picket at Lachmanpora in the Batmaloo area of central Srinagar last evening. The grenade was defused by experts of the bomb disposal squad.

Militants set ablaze a vehicle of the State Forest Corporation at Himliwarnow in Kupwara yesterday. The driver of the vehicle was beaten up by the militants before making good their escape.

He said three persons, including a security jawan and a woman were wounded when militants exploded an IED at Bandipora in Baramulla district yesterday. The injured were shifted to hospital for treatment.