17 militants and two armymen among 20 killed in valley

Twenty people, including 17 militants and two soldiers, were killed in Kashmir during the last 24 hours. Twentyfive houses and other structures were also gutted in the valley.

Official sources told United News of India that troops cordoned off Pandach village on the outskirts of Srinagar city on Thursday evening to arrest some militants and their sympathisers.

However, when the area was being sealed, the militants fired upon the troops with automatic weapons.The fierce encounter continued for several hours. The troops later fired mortar shells in the direction of the militants's fire. Residents alleged that the houses caught fire because of the mortar shelling by the troops.

The bodies of three militants were recovered from the debris. Two army personnel lost their lives in the encounter while four soldiers were critically injured.

The area is still under a security cordon as troops conduct search operations.

A defence ministry spokesman said Rashtriya Rifles troops killed a self-styled commander-in-chief of the Al-Jehad during a search operation at Kulgam in south Kashmir on Friday morning.

In another operation, troops noticed a group of militants sneaking in from Pakistan occupied Kashmir on Thursday evening. When the infiltrators were challenged and asked to surrender, they opened fire on the troops with automatic weapons. The troops fired back, killing five militants. A cache of arms and ammuntion besides a missile launcher were recovered near the site of the encounter.

An official spokesman said security forces apprehended an alleged militant named Mohammad Yusuf Waloo at Kripalpora early on Thursday along with one pistol and three rounds. The security forces claim Yusuf was later killed in an encounter with militants at Gath Gopalan. However, local residents, who took to the streets, alleged that the security forces had killed Yusuf in custody.

Security forces also gunned down three militants at Cheerhar village in the central Kashmir district of Badgam on Thursday evening. Three other militants were killed at Doshatnag in the frontier district of Kupwara on Thursday night.

Militants are said to have killed Bilal Ahmad, an activist of the outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen at Safa Kadal on Thursday evening. Militants also abducted and later killed Manzoor Ahmad Zargar at Bahram Pora in Sopore on Thursday evening while a militant surrendered along with four hand grenades at Pulwama.