Three Hizbul militants killed in Kashmir gunfight

Srinagar, July 12 (IANS) Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed on Wednesday after a gunfight with security forces in a Jammu and Kashmir village that began the previous day, officials said.

The battle started on Tuesday evening after security forces, following inputs about the presence of some militants, laid a cordon around Radbug village of Budgam district, some 30 km from here.

The militants opened fire at the security forces when the cordon around the house in which they were hiding was tightened, a police officer said.

The operation, carried out jointly by the police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army, was halted after it got dark. The exchange of fire resumed on Wednesday morning.

The officer said the holed up militants rushed out from their hideout firing indiscriminately in a bid to break the cordon.

The security forces returned the fire and killed all the three militants, he said.

The slain militants were identified as Javed Sheikh, Dawood and Aquib. Sheikh was the Hizbul district commander, the police officer said.

Sheikh and Dawood were residents of Budgam district, CRPF DIG M. Dinakaran said.

He said an AK-56 assault rifle, an SLR, a pistol and seven magazines were recovered from the shootout site.

Dinakaran said security forces suffered no injuries.

"Villagers resorted to heavy stone pelting at the security forces to disrupt our operation. However, they were chased away," he told IANS.