4 mercenaries killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Sept 26 (PTI) — Four foreign mercenaries and a couple were among seven persons killed in Jammu and Kashmir while four securitymen and three others were wounded in militancy-related violence since last evening.

Security forces nabbed six militants and defused two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during the period, an official spokesman said.

He said two foreign mercenaries were killed in a shootout with security forces at Machil in frontier district of Kupwara today, adding some arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession.

Two more foreign mercenaries, owing allegiance to Lashkar-e-Toiba, were killed in a gun-fight with security forces at Bonjwa-Kishtwar in Jammu region’s Doda district.

A security jawan was killed and three others were injured critically when their vehicle ran over an IED, planted by militants, at Madana village in Poonch.

The spokesman said four persons including a security jawan, were wounded when militants exploded a device at crowded exhibition crossing in Srinagar this afternoon. They were hospitalised.

The police picked up bodies of a couple near Surankote in Rajouri district yesterday.

The spokesman said security forces apprehended a self-styled district commander of Harkat-ul-Ansar, Ghulam Mohiuddin alias Nayeem, during search operations in Doda district’s Katari-Gali area.

Four militants were arrested in Srinagar and one in Baramula, he said.

One person was killed and three others, including a woman, were injured in renewed firing from across the border on civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday, an official spokesman today said.

The shelling by Pakistani troops at Sapti-Kargil in frontier region of Ladakh on Thursday left two persons injured with one of them succumbing to his injuries in hospital yesterday.

A woman and a boy also received injuries as a result of the shelling in Karmara village in Poonch district of Jammu region yesterday, the spokesman said.

Jammu: Border Security Force (BSF) jawans shot dead five Pakistani intruders when they sneaked into the Ramgarh area from across the international border (IB) early today, official said.

BSF men recovered some documents from the slain intruders, officials said, adding their identity could not be ascertained immediately.

Reports from Rajouri said the BSF troops shot dead three militants and injured six others during a fierce gun-battle in Darhal area, which was continuing.

Rashtriya Rifle (RR) troops arrested a self-styled area commander of the Hizbul Mujaheedin from Baderwah town of Doda district and recovered some arms and ammunition from him.

Identified as Ghulam Mohiddin alias Abdullah, the militant was said to have been involved in several killings in Baderwah and Doda areas. One-self loading rifle, four magazines and 40 bullets were recovered from him.

NSG commandos for Jammu
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 26 — About 400 men of the NSG are being deployed in Poonch, Rajouri and parts of Udhampur district to carry out swift operations against the militants, especially foreign mercenaries, camping in the alpine forest belt.

Official sources said that 250 men of India's crack commando unit have reached Jammu and another 150 men would join them shortly. Before being assigned the task of smashing the militant hideouts these four companies of the NSG would receive a fortnight-long training in one of the Army's schools somewhere in the northern sector.

The sources said that the men of the NSG would not be deployed in the hilly regions of the Jammu sector permanently. They were expected to complete their task within three months.

Reports said that the NSG commandos would be under the operational command of the Army and the soldiers have been trained to provide logistic support to the men of the NSG.

The plan of inducting the NSG into Poonch, Rajouri and upper reaches of Udhampur had been finalised at a meeting of senior functionaries of the Defence and Home Ministries in Delhi. According to informed sources, the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, who has played an instrumental role in revamping the state police, too had given his consent to the plan.

In fact during the past two years foreign militants had kept the security forces in Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Doda districts on the tenterhooks. It had been seen that since the Indian troops remained pegged to catch-and-kill operations they could not pay full attention to the border from where large groups of Pak-trained rebels sneak into the Jammu region. After the deployment of the NSG the Army would have sufficient time to guard the border and check infiltration and arms smuggling.

Panthers Party dissolves J&K executive

JAMMU, Sept 26 (PTI) — The working committee of the National Panthers Party today dissolved its state executive Sardar Mushtaq Khan was appointed interim president.

The decision was taken during the working committee meeting here under the chairmanship of Prof Bhim Singh, a party press note said.

It said the committee had decided to hold a convention of the state unit on October 15 in Jammu which would elect the state president and members of the working committee.

Sardar Mushtaq Khan has been appointed interim president till the convention. A 37-member executive will assist him.