By IRNA
Srinagar : At least eight militants were killed in two separate gun battles with army in Kashmir, while an 18-hour-long encounter in city outskirts ended Thursday.
A group of militants sneaking across the Line of control in orthern Kupwara district ran into an army detachment leading to fierce gun battle, the police said.
Four militants had been killed when reports last came in.
Three militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were killed in an encounter with the army and the police in a Gandarbal village, reports said.
According to a senior police official the police and troops had sealed off the Salura area of the district for search operations.
The police had gone into action after specific reports that a Pakistani militant had established a network to carry out operations in the area, the police officer said.
He said that an operation was launched on Wednesday morning, leading to a gun battle with militants that continued late into the night.
According to the officer, the operation was suspended due to darkness and resumed on Thursday morning when the house where the militants had taken position, was destroyed in the exchange of fire.
Several other house sustained damage, he said.
A spokesman of the Hizb has confirmed the death of the three militants and claimed that the troops had suffered heavy casualties in the fighting.
The township of Gandarbal shut down completely after the killing of the three militants.
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