Army major among 4 soldiers killed in J&K

Srinagar: Four army men, including a Major, and an equal number of militants were on Tuesday killed while 8 other security personnel and a civilian were injured in two separate encounters in Kashmir, officials said.
In an encounter in Kralgund area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district this evening, security forces gunned down three militants hiding in a residential house, a police official said.
Major S Dahiya was injured in the encounter and later succumbed to his injuries, the official said.
Earlier, an encounter took place in Parray Mohalla of Hajin area of Bandipora district on Tuesday morning.
The gunbattle erupted after security forces cordoned off the area following information about presence of militants there, the police official said.
As the security forces were closing in, they came under fire from the hiding militants, the official said, adding 10 security personnel, including an officer, were injured in this.
Of them, three personnel succumbed to their injuries later, the official said.
One militant, whose identity has not been ascertained yet, was also killed in the operation, he added.
The two encounters took place two days after four militants and two soldiers were killed in a gunbattle in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Two civilians were also killed in that encounter.
Militant hideout
busted in Poonch
Army troops on Tuesday busted a militant hideout and recovered arms and ammunition including Pika machine gun and two AK-type rifles from a forest in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The recovered items included a Pika machine gun with 90 belted rounds, AK 74 rifle, AK 47 rifle, two UBGL launchers, 22 UBGL grenades, two Chinese grenades, ICOM radio set with antennae and approximately 500 AK 47 rounds, a Defence spokesman said. (PTI)