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20 militants, two soldiers killed in J&K violence

Three policemen were killed and three others injured when militants attacked Ganderbal Police Lines late last night. Elsewhere in the valley 20 militants and two soldiers were among 26 people killed in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the army has launched a major offensive, killing 74 militants, among them foreigners, in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag.

An official spokesman said heavily armed militants attacked the police lines at Ganderbal, the constituency of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.

He said a special police officer Showkat Ahmad and two constables, Nazir Ahmad and Mohammad Yousuf, were killed and three other police personnel were injured.

Militants also took away one Kalashnikov rifle, one self-loading rifle, and four .303 rifles. Senior police officers have rushed to the area and a search has been launched to catch the militants responsible for the attack.

Militants also attacked a security force search party at Khiram, 60km from Srinagar, in Anantnag last evening. The army retaliated and in the clash, which lasted six hours, six militants were killed. Two soldiers were killed and three others injured in the clash.

The spokesman said two civilians -- Mohammad Ayub Gujjar and Iqbal Khan -- were also killed in the crossfire. Five Kalashnikovs and one pistol were recovered from the site of the encounter.

The spokesman said security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police task force killed two militants at Bona Dialgam during a joint operation last evening. Those killed include a battalion commander of the outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen.

Security forces also gunned down two militants at Gund Bachna in north Kashmir in an encounter last evening. One pistol, one magazine, two rounds were recovered from the slain militants.

Militants fired a rocket at a Border Security Force camp at New Colony, Batmaloo, around 3.20pm IST today, damaging the building. But no one was injured, the police said.

Immediately after the blast, residents of the area said security forces beat pedestrians and shopkeepers. The BSF later conducted searches in the area, the police said.

Panic gripped the area when unidentified militants shot a police constable, Ghulam Mohi-ud-din, at a bus stand this afternoon. But the situation returned to normal in half-an-hour. The injured constable has been admitted to hospital.

Militants shot at and wounded one Farooq Ahmad alias Dunoo at Chhota Bazaar in the old city today. He too was hospitalised.

The spokesman said militants kidnapped and subsequently killed one Nazir Ahmad Rather at Sirhama in Anantnag district last evening. A militant who had surrendered, Mohammad Ashraf Ganai, was also killed at Batapora in the frontier district of Kupwara.

He said militants abducted one Mohammad Ismail from a house in Bandipora last evening.

Security forces captured a militant at Rang Paristan in Srinagar while a militant surrendered at Kupwara last evening. One Kalashnikov rifle, three magazines and 90 rounds were recovered.

UNI

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