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14 killed as 'deadliest ever' encounter rages on in south Kashmir

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

In village Ahgam, the battle continues.

The latest incident of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has, even as this report goes online, claimed 14 lives -- that of 10 militants and four soldiers -- and injured six armymen.

Friday is the third consecutive day that security forces and militants are shooting it out in this little village of southern Pulwama district.

The deadly gunbattle -- the 'deadliest ever' in south Kashmir, according to army officials -- erupted early Wednesday morning. Army troops, on an anti-militancy raid in Ahgam, came under heavy fire from militants. They retaliated, cordoned off the village, and had been exchanging fire with the extremists since then.

The injured armymen include a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel.

Unconfirmed reports said there have been a large number of civilian injuries. The villagers have fled the area.

Fresh troops have been sent to Ahgam. A group of journalists too were taken to the village Friday morning, but they could not enter as heavy exchanges were continuing. Mortar firing and automatic weapons were heard distinctly.

"I have never witnessed such a gunbattle in this area," said south Kashmir's General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Major General R K Kaushal, "As per information there were 13 militants in the village, of whom eight were Afghans. We have already killed 10. The remaining three are continuously changing hideouts, moving from one house to another."

Major General Kaushal said the militants had taken a constable and a special police officer as hostages. Their fate is unknown.

A police officer on condition of anonymity said over 35 houses have been destroyed in the battle.

Army officers had in the morning said they would neutralise the militants by evening. But at 1900 hours, the battle was still on in Ahgam.

On Thursday, United States Army Chief General Dennis J Reimer held detailed discussions with Lieutenant General S Padmanabhan, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, in Udhampur, about the Kashmir situation. Reimer's delegation showed a keen interest in furthering Indo-US defence relations.

Meanwhile, a strike in Srinagar and some other towns affected normal life on Friday. It was called by the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujaheedin to protest against the alleged custodial killing of its top commander Omar Sultan at Budgam in central Kashmir two days ago. The police's claim is that Sultan died in an encounter.

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