HM militant killed, 4 injured and a foreign ultra surrender in J

Srinagar, Nov 16 (UNI) A top commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was killed and a foreign ultra surrendered in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, official sources said.

Sources told UNI that the militant, Aquib Malik, a resident of Multan in Pakistan, laid down arms and ammunition this morning.

Malik said he and five other militants were hiding in Gulgam when security forces launched a massive search operation on November 14 evening.

Malik surrendered after he managed to escape from the cordoned-off area.

Security forces are conducting a massive search in the entire area to nab two other militants, who were in the village at the time of the operation. Three militants and soldiers and four other security personnels were killed in a 24-hour-long gun battle at Gulgam village, official sources said.

A report from Jammu said Security forces have gunned down a top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant and apprehended a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) ultra in Doda district.

Sources said 58 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Border Security Force (BSF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) had launched a search operation at Sumber in Ramban police district after getting a tip-off about the movement of the two top Hizbul militants in the area.

During the search operation, the militants opened fire on the troops. After an encounter, lasting for almost two hours, a top Hizbul militant, later identified as Basharat Peer alias Saifullah, was killed by the security personnel while his associate managed to escape. An insas rifle, two magazines, 74 rounds of ammunition, one Chinese grenade, one radio set and Rs 4,000 in Indian currency were recovered.

In another incident, the Doda police arrested a LeT militant, Mohammad Ibrahim alias Qureshi from Kither area of Kishtwar tehsil.

Qureshi was wanted in cases involving the smuggling of arms and ammunition, which included two AK rifles, two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition, one hand grenade and four pistol rounds from the Kishtwar police station on July 29 this year.

Four persons were injured in a hand grenade blast near a security force picket near the Mirwaiz Manzil in the down town Srinagar today, official sources said.

They said militants hurled a hand grenade towards a security force picket at Rajouri Kadal, just opposite the Mirwaiz Manzil, housing the office of Awami Action Committee (AAC) headed by Hurriyat Chairman (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq.

However,the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside causing injuries to four persons. Two of the injured were admitted to hospital.

UNI BAS YSS PDM RK1940