Cornered, militants kill Major, hole up in mosque

SRINAGAR, MARCH 26: A Major was killed and a soldier seriously wounded as militants holed up in a mosque and adjacent cluster of houses un...

SRINAGAR, MARCH 26: A Major was killed and a soldier seriously wounded as militants holed up in a mosque and adjacent cluster of houses unleashed heavy gunfire on security forces in Handwara town in north Kashmir, 90km from here, on Sunday.

The militants rejected an offer by Muslim clerics to surrender and fired on the troops, who ringed the mosque, intermittently, official sources told PTI.

As the troops were tightening the cordon around the mosque and the houses where the ultras had taken shelter on Saturday evening in the wee hours of Sunday, the militants resorted to heavy firing, forcing the security personnel to retaliate in self defense, the sources said.

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A major of Rashtriya Rifles was killed and a jawan seriously injured in the firing, they said.

Security forces, on getting information about the presence of militants in Check-e-dedikote village, cordoned off the area and sealed escape routes from the village on Saturday evening, the sources said.

Cornered by troops, the militants fired indiscriminately seriously injuring a jawan, they said. The troops chased the militants who took shelter in a mosque and adjoining houses.

While three to four ultras hid themselves inside the mosque, some other militants, whose numbers were not yet available, forced their way into adjacent houses, the sources said.