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Kashmir Gunfight Kills 3 Soldiers, Militant

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, Nov 7: Three Indian army personnel and a militant were killed in a fierce gunfight in North Kashmir, some 27 kilometers from Srinagar, today.

Police sources said that police received information about the presence of some militants in Sadporta Mohalla, Pattan in North Kashmir, some 27 kms from summer capital Srinagar. "After receiving inputs, the Indian army personnel and policemen launched a joint combing and search operation to flush out the militants. During the operation, they in on some residential houses and asked the militants present inside to surrender and lay down the weapons", sources said. The militants, however, turned down the offer and fired from AK-47 rifles towards the soldiers.

The soldiers returned the fire and during the gunfight, the militants continuously change their location from one house to another. The soldiers faced tough time to overcome the resistance of the militants. They used heavy weapons to prevail over the militants. Sources said that two to three militants were firing on the soldiers from different directions and engaging them. The soldiers were targeting the militant positions from sophisticated weapons. The fierce gunfight continued this evening, during which a militant and three soldiers were killed. Two soldiers were also injured in the gunfight.

At least five residential houses were damaged and the soldiers were searching the debris of the damaged houses.

A top police officer of North Kashmir, Dr Srinivasan told News Blaze that a militant and three army personnel were killed in the fierce gunfight. He said that so far soldiers have recovered body of only one militant and the search of the debris is going on.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.