Army captain, two militants killed in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jun 24 (UNI) An army captain S B Singh and two militants were killed and a soldier injured in a night-long fierce clash in south Kashmir, official sources said today.

They said troops of 55 Rashitriya Rifles (RR) and the police launched a joint operation at a village in Pulwama district last night.

However, when the troops were about to storm a particular house, the militants hiding inside opened fire and hurled grenades at them.

Reinforcements were rushed from the nearby camps and the cordon around the house was further tightened.

Troops retaliated after the holed up militants refused to surrender.

Capt Singh and a soldier were injured in the shootout, sources said, adding the injured were admitted to hospital. The captain later died, the sources said.

Two militants were also killed in the encounter, they said.

Two AK rifles and two magzines were recovered from the slain militants. The house from where militants were firing was also damaged after security forces used mortars against the militants UNI BAS VD1502