Al Mansoorian commander among 2 ultras killed in Kashmir

Srinagar, Dec 24 (UNI) Two top Pakistani militants of Al Mansoorian, including the outfit's Chief Operations, were killed while three security personnel wounded in a fierce gun-battle in Sopore area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district today, an Army spokesman said.

He said the gunfight, which erupted between militants and personnel of 22 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 45 battalion of the Border Security Force and the Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at Hatam Mohalla in Dangerpora village of Sopore area at 1730 hrs last evening, resumed early this morning.

During the gun-battle, two Al Mansoorian militants -- Chief Operations, Kashmir, Osama Pahalwan and District Commander Abu Usman alias Saad Bhai alias Kari Usman were killed, the spokesman added.

Three police personnel -- Kafeel Ahmed, Farooq Ahmed and Jasbir Singh -- were also wounded in the gunfight.

Pahalwan, a wanted ultra in the area, was involved in several militancy-related incidents, including the firing on an Army convoy at Sopore on Friday in which two civilians were killed and seven others, including four security personnel, wounded.

The spokesman said two AK 47 rifles with magazines, 60 rounds of AK 47, 20 hand grenades, two burnt pouches, one burnt satellite phone and two damaged mobile phones were seized from the possession of the slain militants near the encounter site.

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