Two killed, six injured hideout busted in Kashmir

Srinagar, June 18 (UNI) Two people were killed and six others, including four soldiers, wounded in the Kashmir valley overnight, official sources said today.

Bodies of one Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of Sempora, Pulwama, and Habibullah Bhat of Gund Kangan were recovered from the river Jehlum at Pampore, about 12 km from here, and the river Sindh, near Kangan in Ganderbal district, respectively this morning, the sources added.

They said a group of unidentified persons attacked and injured one Habibullah Shah with sharp-edged weapons at Qazigund in south Kashmir. He was hospitalised.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said troops of 50 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) conducted a search operation at Khunmuh in Pulwama district of South Kashmir following a tip-off that militants had stored some arms and ammunition in a hideout.

He said during the operation, troops unearthed a five feet by three feet undergound hideout. Later, two Chinese pistol, four magazines, 343 rounds ammunition, ten UBGL grenades and one AGL grenade were recovered from the hideout.

He said miltants attacked an army vehicle at Palhallan market in north Kashmir district of Baramulla last evening.

The fire was retaliated and in the ensuing gunbattle four soldiers and a militnat were wounded, he said.

However, police and villagers said the alleged militant was a civilian, identified as 20-year-old Nazir Ahmed Sofi.

The villagers said that it was an unprovoked firing by the security forces.

UNI