M A I N   N E W S

Five behind carnage shot
Tribune News Service and agencies

SRINAGAR, March 25 — Five top foreign mercenaries suspected to be involved in the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chatti Singhpora on Monday last, were killed in an encounter with the security forces in the area today.

Five AK rifles, five hand grenades and two wireless sets were recovered from the site of the encounter, the police said.

The encounter with the Army took place at Panchaltran, 13 km east of Chatti Singhpora, an Army spokesman, Col Shruti Kant, said.

The terrorists, belonging to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) were killed during an early morning operation launched by the security forces.

The Jammu and Kashmir police had yesterday arrested a local militant who had taken part in the massacre. The Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pande, said the arrested militant had identified certain people who were involved in the massacre.

Mr Pande also said that 17 terrorists of both organisations, including foreign mercenaries, were involved in the incident.

Colonel Kant said that in another commando operation at Deharnar in Doda district, three terrorists belonging to the LET were killed yesterday. In this operation, one AK rifle, one pistol, one SBBL gun and 15 grenades along with a radio set were recovered.

The police did not rule out the possibility of more militants being involved in the encounter as the operation was still continuing.

Acting on a tip-off by Mohammad Yaqoob Wagey, who is believed to have taken part in the massacre and was arrested by the authorities on Thursday, the security forces cordoned off the house where the militants were hiding and launched the operation to flush them out ensuing a heavy gun battle between the two sides.

The Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir Range, Mr Ashok Bhan, said the combined forces of Jammu and Kashmir police and Rashtriya Rifles launched the operation in the area.

While Rashtriya Rifles troops were led by Brig Deepak Bajaj, the Kashmir police team was led by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Anantnag, Mr Farooq Khan.

Elsewhere in the valley, security forces killed four foreign militants at Chatergul in South Kashmir district of Anantnag today.

An official spokesman said troops conducted a search operation at Chatergul in Anantnag early this morning.

When the troops reached near a particular house they were fired at by militants with automatic weapons. Troops returned the fire and in the exchange four foreign militants were killed.

Some arms and ammunition were recovered from them.

The forces did not suffer any casualty.

In another incident, three securitymen were seriously injured as militants detonated an IED in Anantnag district of South Kashmir today, the police said.

Militants set off the explosion on the main road between Matrigam and Pumbai, near Kulgam, damaging the vehicle of the security personnel and seriously injuring them, police said.

Two other explosions were triggered in Nipora, in which ITBP personnel laying roads had a narrow escape, and in Kupwara. No one was injured in the blasts.

A Pakistani infiltrator identified as Abu Hamza was killed in a gun-battle with security forces in Doodipora forest of the frontier district of Kupwara. A security personnel was injured in the exchange of firing.

Three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Dharma village in Doda district last night and two others were shot dead in Ranbirsinghpora in Jammu and Thakri-Kote in Udhampur.

JAMMU: Five members of a Muslim family were gunned down in Budha village in Udhampur district on Saturday.

The police said that a group of weapon-wielding militants attacked the family in the village late at night and killed three women and two males. Two other family members were injured.

Additional security forces have been rushed to the area.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that there was a dispute between two families. One family was said to have sought the help of militants to eliminate its rivals.

A large number of people, including women, gathered in the village and protested against the killing of innocent people.