Five militants among seven killed in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 17 (UNI) Five militants, three of them belonging to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), were among the seven people killed in Kashmir since last evening, a police spokesman said today.

Three Jaish ultras were killed in an encounter at Aderwal forests in Shopian area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district last evening.

He said the encounter erupted after a joint search party of the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Army's 3 Para was attacked by militants with automatic weapons and grenades.

Some arms and ammunition were also seized from the slain ultras, the spokesman added.

Two of the slain militants have been identified as Zahoor Ahmad Mir and Riyaz Ahmad Peer. However, the identity of the third ultra was yet to be established. He was believed to be a foreigner.

In another encounter at Wahipora in the same district, security forces killed two militants identified as Firdous Ahmad alias Muna alias Murtaza and Shabir Ahmad Bhat alias Umar, he said.

The spokesman said two AK-47 rifles, one UBGL and four magazines were seized from the encounter site.

Police recovered a throat-slit body of Abdul Rashid Raina at Sethurna, Kangan last evening.

Raina was abducted by five unknown gunmen while he was harvesting walnut yesterday afternoon, the spokesman said.

Police also recovered the body of Shaba Ahmad Rather from the river Jehlum at Raj Bagh here today.

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