A top terrorist commander and an army trooper were killed on Wednesday in two separate fierce north Kashmir encounters.
Police said a top commander of terrorist outfit Al-Badr was killed in a fierce encounter that began on Tuesday after troops of 52 Rashtriya Rifles and special operations group of police surrounded a house in the Amargrah village of north Kashmir Baramulla district on specific information.
"The holed up militants were challenged who, however, resorted to indiscriminate firing on the surrounding troops, triggering a gunfight in which one top terrorist commander identified as Abu Hamza, operation commander of Al-Badr outfit was killed," said a senior police officer.
He said Hamza, a wanted terrorist, was earlier associated with the Lashkar-e-Tayiba but had lately shifted to Al-Badr.
He also said that an army trooper of 22 RR was also killed and two others wounded in the operation. One house was also damaged in the ongoing gunfight at Amargrah.
In another encounter at Baki Haker village in north Kashmir Kupwara district, one terrorist was killed. The operation is still continuing, according to police sources.
Troops of 57 Rashtriya Rifles and the special operations group of the state police surrounded a house in Hyatmula village of north Kashmir Bandipora district earlier today following information about the presence of militants there.
"After the hiding militants refused to lay down their arms and started firing on the surrounding police and RR troops, triggering an encounter, one army soldier was killed.
"The militants were engaged in a sustained gunbattle that ended this evening in which two militants belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were killed. Both the slain militants are foreigners," a senior police officer said