4 militants including top HM commander killed in J and K

Srinagar, July 1 (UNI) In a major offensive against the militants, security forces gunned down four more ultras including a top commander of Hizbul Mujhideen in Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Official sources said security forces killed a commander of Hizbul Mujhideen (HM) Din Mugal alias Lal Din in an encounter at Kapsen jungles in the north Kashmir district of Baramulla today.

He was responsible for sending Kashmiri youths across the LoC for receiving arms training.

In all the security forces have killed 24 militants, including about a dozen top commanders, in the Kashmir valley during the past one week.

A defence ministry spokesman said based on specific information about the presence of militants, troops of 9 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Territorial Army (TA) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a joint operation at village Marhama in Kulgam in south Kashmir last night.

However, when the troops were sealing the area, militants attacked them with automatic weapons and also hurled hand grenades.

Security forces also retaliated and reinforcement was rushed from nearby camps to tighten the cordon.

In the night-long fierce fire fight, three militants were killed, he said adding three AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

Security forces did not suffered any casualty, the spokesman said.

He said the offensive against militants will continue in the Kashmir valley.

The operations have yielded very good results, he said, adding about 20 militants, including a dozen top commanders of different organisations, were killed by the security forces in the Kashmir valley during the past one week.

The spokesman said security forces also foiled two major infiltration bids by killing 12 heavily-armed militants during the past 48 hours in Keran and Machil sectors.

Security forces also busted a number of hideouts and recovered war-like stores including hundreds of grenades, RDX and other explosives, mines, bombs and wireless sets in the valley over the last week.

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