Three militants, one trooper killed in Kashmir gunfight

SRINAGAR - Three separatist guerrillas and a trooper were killed Tuesday in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, police said.

“Three militants and one soldier of the Rashtriya Rifles were killed in the gunfight that started after troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and the special operations group (SOG) of the police surrounded a house in Sanzipora village following information that some heavily armed militants were hiding inside a house,” a police officer told IANS.

Sanzipora village is near Handwara town, which is 120 km from here.

“In the initial exchange of gunfire after the hiding militants were asked to surrender, two guerrillas were killed,” the officer said.

The security forces came under heavy gunfire while moving forward and they retaliated, killing a third militant, he added.

“One rifleman of the Rashtriya Rifles was also killed in the gunfight,” the officer said.

A large cache of arms and ammunition has been recovered from the slain militants and their identities are being ascertained, he added

Security forces are searching another forest area in Kupwara district after a tip-off about the presence of guerrillas there as well, he said.

Last week, two separatist guerrillas were killed in a gun battle in Shahnagri village in the same district while seven guerrillas belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.