3 soldiers,6 militants among 10 killed, police station attacked

Srinagar, May 3 (UNI) Three security personnel and six militants, including a Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander were among ten people killed while a police station was attacked in the Jammu and Kashmir last night.

A defence ministry spokesperson Colonel V K Batra told UNI that troops of 24 Rashitriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint operation at village Hayan, Kangan, about 30 km from here on the Srinagar-Leh highway early today.

He said as the troops were sealing the village, militants hiding there opened fire and hurled hand grenades. Security forces retaliated and in the fierce clash three militants were killed. Two soldiers and a SOG jawan also lost their lives in the clash, he said adding that three A K rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

In another operation at Arigam Bandipora in the north Kashmir, troops of 5 JAT gunned down a militant of Pakistan based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) Sajjad Ahmad. One A K rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant, he said.

Militants this afternoon attacked a police station in the Srinagar city, official sources said.

They said militants hurled a hand grenade towards Khanyar police station at 1330 hours. However, it missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside injuring one person.

This was the third grenade attack in the Khanyar area during the past one week. On Monday' militants attacked the batallion headquarter of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). However, no one was injured in the attack.

An official spokesperson said dead bodies a self styled tehsil commander Khurshid Ahmad and Rayees Ahmad Baba of HM were recovered at Kuchal Chatroo and Aglar Drabgam respectively. They were killed in inter group clash, he said.

Militants shot dead one Omi Chand, a labourer, at Karalon Dessa last night.

He said security forces arrested a militant alongwith one AK rifle, one magzine and 17 rounds of ammunition at Barzulla in the city outskirts today.

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