Army major, 2 JCOs and 6 militants among 12 killed

An army major, two junior commissioned officers and six militants were among the 13 people killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 24 hours.

Forces also captured seven militants and recovered a large cache of arms including an anti-aircraft gun.

A defence spokesman said the major and a JCO of the Rashtriya Rifles and four Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed on Monday inside the Copra forests near Thana Mandi in Rajouri district, nearly 200 kilometres from Jammu.

Troops had cordoned off the area where militants attacked security forces three days ago. The ensuing encounter lasted six hours, leading to the heaviest toll in a single incident during the current year in Rajouri district.

Three AK-47 rifles, grenades, magazines and ammunition were recovered from the site. Search operations are continuing.

In another incident the same day, a JCO was killed and five jawans wounded, following a landmine blast at Goakumble in Marmat area of Doda district. The landmine exploded when the first vehicle of an army convoy was passing through. The injured were airlifted to the Udhampur army hospital.

A massive search operation has been launched in the upper reaches of Seoj Dhar, nearly 8,000 feet from sea level, to flush out militants.

Troops apprehended three militants in Baramulla and recovered 22 hand grenades and five kg of explosives.

In another operation there, a special police task force, assisted by a Border Security Force party, killed self-styled divisional commander Basheer Ahmad Khan alias Hyder and his associate Nazir Jagga.

In Kupwara, forces recovered a one barrel anti-aircraft gun, a 136 mm tripart log, 30 rounds of ammunition, 12 blankets and one 107 mm artillery from a hideout.

Militants intruded into the house of a civilian, Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, in Pampore and shot him dead.

Militants also killed Paras Ram, a member of the village defence committee, at his home in Karra village. His wife and daughter were injured in the firing.

Three youths -- Farooq Ahmad, Mohammad Amin and Bitu -- were abducted by militants from their houses in Dachan on Monday evening. An unidentified body was recovered from Badgam on Tuesday morning.

Mukhtar Ahmed, UNI