5 militants killed in Kashmir

Five militants, including a foreigner, were killed in Kashmir since Tuesday. Security forces captured five militants while two others surrendered.

An official spokesperson said on a tip-off, security forces cordoned off Barsoo village in Ganderbal on Tuesday evening to nab militants and their sympathisers. The militants opened fire while the forces were moving into position. The forces returned fire, killing three militants and critically injuring a boy.

The spokesperson said security forces gunned down a foreign militant during an encounter at Bandar forest in the frontier district of Kupwara on Tuesday evening. Two pistols, two magazines and 21 rounds were recovered from the slain militant.

Militants shot dead Mohammad Hussain at Prinder village and at least three security personnel were injured when militants lobbed a hand grenade and fired at a patrol near Sekidafar in down town Srinagar on Tuesday evening.

The spokesperson said security forces apprehended one militant each, including a militant group company commander at Pampore, Sanoor, Makhhamma, Srinagar and Baramulla during overnight operations while one militant each surrendered along with arms and ammunition at Kupwara and Baramulla on Tuesday evening.

A defence ministry spokesperson said troops killed a militant during a search operation in the frontier district of Kupwara on Tuesday evening.

An official spokesperson said during the first seven months of the year, security forces killed 96 militants in encounters and lost 23 of their men in the process while 61 civilians were shot down by ultras in the Jammu region.

In the same period, the security forces carried out 51 operations, 17 of these in the Doda district, nine each in Poonch, Udhampur and Rajouri and seven in Jammu district.

The spokesperson said 147 incidents of firing, 28 explosions, 19 cases of abductions and kidnapping, eight incidents of arsons and seven lootings were reported during the period. While 96 militants were killed and 15 injured in encounters with security forces, 54 ultras were arrested and 17 surrendered, he said.

Twenty-three security personnel were killed by militants while another 23 sustained injuries in these operations.

Security forces also recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition from the militants in the period, including 97 AK-56 rifles, 72 pistols and revolvers, 400 hand grenades, 206 detonators, 42 magnetic pencil bombs, 15 remote control devices, 82 kgs of RDX explosives, 10 rockets and other materials.