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Indian, Pak troops exchange small fire

Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged small arms fire for several hours at Bandipora and Karotana Khurd, while a militant was killed and four army personnel were injured in a fierce encounter at Saloora Ganderbal on Tuesday.

An official spokesman said Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian positions at Bandipora and Karotana Khurd areas on Monday evening. Indian troops also returned the fire and the small arms fire between the troops of two countries continued for several hours, he said.

He said there was no casualty on this side. However, casualties, if any, suffered by Pakistani troops was not immediately known.

In the afternoon, panic gripped Mandibal Nowshera when militants lobbed a hand grenade towards a security force picket. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside without causing any damage.

The spokesman said a powerful improvised explosive device went off outside the Jammu and Kashmir bank branch in Baramullah on Monday evening damaging window panes of the bank building. However, none was hurt in the blast.

The spokesman said security forces acting on a specific information conducted house-to-house search operation at Saloora, Ganderbal on the outskirts of Srinagar city early Tuesday morning. The spokesman said when the troops were about to storm a particular hideout they were fired upon by militants with automatic weapons. The security forces also returned the fire and in the four hour-long gun battle a militant, reportedly a foreigner, was killed. Four army personnel also suffered injuries, he said adding one house was also gutted in the exchange of fire.

Meanwhile, 10 hardcore militants on Tuesday surrendered before state chief secretary Ashok Jaitly at Badgam.

The surrendered militants also handed over two Universal machine guns, ten AK-56 rifles, one sniper rifle, two wireless sets, 25 kg of explosives, five improvised explosive devices, two rocket launchers, two rockets, eight grenades, 25 magazines and 474 rounds to the authorities.

UNI

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