8 killed in infiltration bid in Kashmir

Srinagar : Seven militants and an army jawan were killed in two operations in Kashmir Valley, police said on Monday.

They said four militants and a soldier were killed when the troops foiled an infiltration bid near the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez sector of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

The troops had launched an operation on Sunday at Baktoor area of Gurez sector near the LoC, around 150 km from here, following an input about a group of militants trying to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the sources said.

They said the soldiers asked the militants to surrender but the ultras opened firing, resulting in injuries to two jawans. One of the jawans, Havaldar Jung Bahadur Thapa, succumbed to injuries. The troops returned the fire, triggering an encounter in which four unidentified militants have been killed so far.