LeT militant gunned down in Kupwara

A suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant was on Wednesday killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, police said. Acting on a specific information about presence of armed militants in Butshugni Kawnar forest in Handwara, 80 kms from Srinagar, police assisted by troops of Rashtriya Rifles laid a siege of the area late last night, police said.

He said the advance party was fired upon by the hiding militants prompting the search party to retaliate. Body of an unidentified militant was recovered from the scene of the gunfight on Wednesday morning, a police spokesman said, adding an AK assault rifle, four magazines, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, four UBGL shells, two mobile phones and Rs 3385 were recovered from his possession.

The spokesman said the search operation in the area was still going on when last reports were received. Meanwhile, some militants opened firing on a security search party at nearby Wudderbala forest on Wednesday evening, triggering a gunfight, official sources said. The gun-battle was still raging in the area and further details are awaited, they said.