Kashmir: Army guns down 7 terrorists in 24 hours

An unidentified terrorist was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in north Kashmir's Kupwara on Friday, the seventh to be killed in three encounters in the district since Thursday.

The fresh encounter broke out in Petha Wadar forest area of Handwara on Friday morning, an army official said.

A search operation was launched by a joint team of police and army after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area. The hiding terrorists fired upon them, triggering an encounter in which one of the infiltrators was killed.

He said the operation was on when reports last came in.

Friday's encounter is the third in Kupwara district since Thursday in which a total of seven militants have been killed so far.

on Thursday, three militants were killed in an encounter in Dobwan forests of Lolab area of the district.

In another gunfight on Thursday evening in Waterkhani forests of Drugmulla area of the district, another three terrorists were killed by the security forces.

Meanwhile, security forces on Friday averted a tragedy after detecting and defusing an Improvised Explosive Device in Srinagar.

An IED weighing five kilograms, planted in a rice cooker, was detected by police near a flyover at Hyderpora in Srinagar, a police official said.

He said the IED was destroyed by a bomb disposal squad.