Three guerrillas killed in Kashmir gunfight

SRINAGAR - Three separatist guerrillas, including a top commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit, were Wednesday killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, an operation was launched in the morning jointly by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Rashtriya Rifles against militants hiding in Lassidaban (Keller) village of Pulwama district, 55 km from here, a senior police officer told IANS.

“As the security forces surrounded the house in which the militants were holed up, they opened up heavy automatic gunfire at the surrounding security forces, resulting in a gunfight that ended in the afternoon,” the officer said.

“Three militants including Lateef Tedwa, the divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, his associate Ayaj Bhat and another unidentified militant were killed in this operation,” he added.

Police said Lateef Tedwa was wanted in a number of killings he had carried out in areas in south Kashmir.