Seven Pak infiltrators, 3 soldiers among 12 killed in J

Srinagar, Oct 8 (UNI) Troops foiled two attempts of infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir by killing seven Pakistani intruders, but lost an officer and two soldiers during the past 24 hours in other militancy-related incidents, an official spokesman said today.

Elsewhere in the state, a Jammu and Kashmir police head constable and a dental surgeon were killed while a police official and three children were among the six people wounded in separate incidents.

The spokesman said troops killed three infiltrators immediately after they crossed into the Indian side from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the Poonch sector early today.

He said troops noticed some suspicious movement along the Line of Control (LoC) in Chaprian-Sawhian sector of Poonch district today.

When the militants entered the Indian side, troops challanged and asked them to surrender. However, the intruders fired heavily on troops, resulting in a fierce encounter in which three militants were killed, the spokesman said.

A soldier also laid down his life in the gun-battle, he said, adding some arms and ammunition were seized from the encounter site.

Troops foiled another infiltration bid in Gurez sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district yesterday when they gunned down four heavily-armed Pakistani infiltrators.

An Army officer and a soldier also laid down their lives in the gun-battle.

Giving details, the spokesman said security forces guarding the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez sector noticed a group of militants sneaking into this side from PoK late last night.

When challenged, the infiltrators opened fire which was returned and in the ensuing fierce gun-battle, four militants were killed.

Four AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants, he added.

The spokesman said some unidentified gunmen abducted Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, a dental surgeon, at Langate while on way to his home at Zachaldara in Handwara area of Kupwara district last evening.

Police today recovered his throat-slit body from the maize fields at Nowpora in Sopore area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir.

Police have launched a massive hunt to nab the culprits.

A police head constable, Gulzar Ahmad, was killed on the spot while two other personnel wounded when militants attacked their vehicle in Gool area of Udhampur district last evening.

The injured were later admitted in a local hospital.

The spokesman said three teenaged boys were critically wounded in a powerful blast in an orchard at Chitay Bandi in Bandipora area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district today.

He said the boys -- Aijaz Ahmad Mir (11), Altaf Ahmad Mir (15) and Ishfaq Ahmad Mir (16) -- were wounded when an explosive device went off while cutting grass in the orchard. The boys had fiddled with explosive device.

The wounded were rushed to the district hospital Baramulla and later referred to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura here. One of the wounded was stated to be critical, the spokesman added.

Militants entered into the house of Abdul Qayoom at Targain Budhal and wounded him seriously with a sharp-edged weapon.

On hearing the cries, security personnel stationed nearby rushed to the house. However, the militants had managed to escape, he said, adding the wounded have been shifted to a hospital.

UNI AG DKB KN2008