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5 J&K cops killed in ambush by militants

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

In intensified pre-election violence in Jammu and Kashmir, militants today ambushed a vehicle of the Khour police division, killing five policemen, including two special police officers, and grievously wounding a constable.

In other incidents across the state in the last 24 hours, 20 persons, including 12 militants, two soldiers and an army officer, were killed.

Police said in Srinagar that a group of militants opened indiscriminate fire with automatic weapons on a taxi carrying policemen and SPOs near Village Khour Pattan in northern Baramulla district, killing five persons, including four policemen and the cab driver.

One SPO who was badly injured was immediately shifted to the state capital, where his condition was stated to be critical.

The army cordoned off the area and began conducting searches. But the militants, sources said, managed to escape. Senior police officers also visited the area.

In a separate incident in the same district, militants this morning hurled a grenade at security forces in Sopore town, injuring two civilians.

Border Security Force personnel later went berserk in Sopore and began beating up bystanders, reports said. They also roughed up local policemen, including Station House Officer Habibullah.

Following this, tension gripped the town. The district police chief and a deputy inspector general of the BSF later visited Sopore. Staff at the local hospital was also agitated, but DIG Javed Ahmad Mukhdoomi pacified them.

Late last night, nine hard-core extremists were killed in a fierce gun battle with the army in the Hafrada forests in Chowkibal area of northern Kashmir.

Three soldiers, including Major Sudhir Kumar Walia, were also killed in the fighting.

Security forces recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including eight AK-47 rifles, four pistols, 35 rifle grenades and 10 hand-grenades, along with a wireless set.

In another incident, gunmen forced their way into a house at Malangam Bandipore in Baramulla district and opened fire on the inmates, killing a woman and her daughter. The house owner, Gul Zaman, received serious injuries and has been hospitalised.

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