Indian troops kill at least 20 in Occupied Kashmir
Pakistan Times Kashmir Desk

SRINAGAR: Indian troops shot dead 18 Mujahideen, four of them near Line of Control, while gunmen killed two civilians, the army and police said.

‘Four of the Mujahideen were killed in the Rampur area of Uri sector,’ army spokesman Lt- Colonel V.K. Batra said.

Five more Mujahideen were killed in a fierce clash near Handwara town. Police said two more fighters were shot dead during two separate clashes in Rajouri and Doda districts on Friday.

Indian troops shot dead seven Mujahideen Thursday in three separate clashes in occupied Kashmir after raiding their hideouts, police said.

In other violence, the armed men shot dead a Muslim youth in Pulwama district and killed another Muslim by slitting his throat in Baramulla district, police said.

Of "infiltration bid"

An army spokesman said the troops deployed along the Line of Control [LoC] "foiled an infiltration bid" in the Uri sector early Friday, killing four militants.

A senior police officer said troops shot dead four infiltrators who made an attempt to infiltrate into Churanda village on LoC near Uri during the wee hours of the morning.

Defense spokesman said; "this was the first infiltration attempt in the Uri sector this year". New Delhi said last week that the infiltration, a major cause of concern for India, had come down to zero in Kashmir raising hopes for a cordial relationship between the rival neighbors.

An India and Pakistan bilateral cease-fire announced two years ago has been holding successfully along the LoC.

Mendhar Episode

In the second incident, Border Security Force personnel shot dead three unidentified infiltrators in Mendhar sector of Poonch district, a BSF spokesman said. He gave no further details.

Another report said troops surrounded a house in a village near Handwara in Kupwara district late Thursday evening resulting in a fierce encounter.

Activists hiding in a house hurled grenades and fired automatic weapons at the surrounding troops. The soldiers returned the fire and resorted to heavy shelling on the house.

Perspective

Early Friday troops recovered bodies of five persons from the debris of the destroyed house, a report said.

Meanwhile unidentified gunmen abducted one Abdul Ghani Gorsi of Zam Pathri village in south Kashmir last night. His bullet-riddled dead body was recovered Saturday morning from a field in Kellar Pulwama, the report added.

In a similar incident unidentified persons abducted and later brutally killed one, Pervez Ahmad Ganai, in Bandipur. His throat had been slit open.

Motive behind both killings was immediately not known.
Early Friday troops recovered bodies of five persons from the debris of the destroyed house, a report said.

Meanwhile unidentified gunmen abducted one Abdul Ghani Gorsi of Zam Pathri village in south Kashmir last night. His bullet-riddled dead body was recovered Saturday morning from a field in Kellar Pulwama, the report added.

In a similar incident unidentified persons abducted and later brutally killed one, Pervez Ahmad Ganai, in Bandipur. His throat had been slit open.

Motive behind both killings was immediately not known.●