By IANS
Srinagar : The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Friday killed four militants while a top commander of Hizbul Mujaheedin (HM) was also gunned down in a separate incident in Jammu and Kashmir.
A senior police officer said: “Police received specific information this (Friday) morning about the presence of a heavily armed group of militants in a house in Drusoo village (in north Kashmir). An operation was immediately launched by the police and CRPF troops.”
“Militants hiding in the house opened fire on the joint search parties of police and CRPF which was returned. A fierce encounter ensued and later four bodies of the militants were recovered from the debris,” the officer said.
“The slain militants have been identified as Abu Shams, Arshid, Aslam and Hameed belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba. Searches are still going in the area.”
In a separate incident in south Kashmir, troops of 1 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and police surrounded a house in Tangbal village in Kulgam district, around 80 km from the state’s summer capital Srinagar.
“Militants opened fire at the troops and the police, triggering a fierce encounter which ended this (Friday) afternoon. Rahool Bhat, the self-styled battalion commander of the Hizbul Mujaheedin was killed. He was involved in several militancy related incidents in Kulgam,” a senior police officer said here.
“One AK-47 rifle and two magazines were recovered from the encounter site.”
Earlier this week, security forces in Kulgam had gunned down four Hizbul Mujaheedin guerrillas.