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3 militants killed in J&K encounter

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR JULY 18. Three foreign militants were killed and nine security personnel injured in a day-long encounter at Banihal on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway today, while three soldiers, including a JCO, were killed in another encounter at Bandipore in north Kashmir.

Police sources said that on specific information, a search operation was launched by the Rashtriya Rifles, the CRPF and the State police at Banihal on the 300 km-long highway early today. Militants, hiding in a house owned by Mohammad Anwar, hurled grenades and started firing indiscriminately at the search party.

In the exchange of fire, three policemen and six RR soldiers were injured and three militants killed. The gunfight continued for about eight hours, disrupting normal life in the area. The highway was also closed to traffic.

The IGP (Jammu zone), P.L. Gupta, said the militants were hiding in a house and not a mosque, as believed earlier.

The house was damaged and five shops gutted in the gunbattle. Two of the foreign militants had been identified as Abu Dujan of the Harkat-e-Jehadi Islami and Mohammad Idris of the Jaish-e-Mohammed from the identity cards recovered. Three AK rifles had also been recovered, he said.

Mr. Gupta said traffic had been restored on the highway late in the afternoon and life was returning to normality.

In the Bonakot area of Bandipore, a fierce gunbattle took place between militants and security forces.

Reports said that an Army patrol was ambushed by militants on Wednesday night and a JCO, Suba Lakshmi Yadav, and two soldiers, Ramesh Chander and Yushwant Singh, were killed. Three others sustained bullet injuries in the exchange of fire.

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