7 killed, 9 militants captured in the valley

Two security personnel and five militants killed, nine militants captured and two major tragedies averted.

That, in effect, sums up the news in the Kashmir valley during the last 24 hours.

An official spokesman said militants attacked a security patrol in Budnambal forests in the frontier district of Kupwara Friday evening. The forces retaliated. In the fierce encounter which followed, two security personnel were killed. The militants managed to escape.

In a search operation at Sonapind near the line of actual control, forces killed four militants. In another incident at Dumrinar, Kupwara district, two more were gunned down.

On Friday evening, the Sangam city witnessed a militant being killed in a search operation. An AK-56 rifle, one magazine, 26 rounds and one pouch were recovered.

Militants shot at and wounded a civilian, Khurshid Ahmad, in Fatehpora, Anantnag district.

Security forces defused four improvised explosive devices at Kupwara. Another tragedy was averted when, on Friday evening, they defused a similar device planted near a secondary school.

UNI