Five guerrillas, two soldiers die in Kashmir gunfight
By IANSFriday, May 7, 2010
SRINAGAR - Five separatist guerrillas and two Indian soldiers were killed in heavy fighting in a forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police said Friday.
The deaths took place late Thursday during a joint operation by the army and police in Sheikhpora’s forest, some 80 km from here, Inspector General of Police Farooq Ahmad told IANS.
The operation followed a tip that the militants were hidden in the forest, he said. “When security forces challenged the militants, they resorted to heavy gunfire, resulting in a fierce battle.”
A lance naik and a naik from the army were also killed in the battle while searches were on in the dense forest to know if more gunmen were hiding.
The identity of the slain guerrillas was yet to be established.
Just two days earlier, a major and a soldier of the army were killed in north Kashmir when security forces were ambushed in Bandipora district’s Chatibandi village.
As the melting snow has thrown open the mountain passes leading to the Kashmir Valley, army and intelligence officials say more armed guerrillas are waiting on the Pakistan frontier to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir.
“Security-wise, it could be a hot summer in Jammu and Kashmir this year,” an intelligence officer here said.
