Series of grenade attacks in Srinagar

SRINAGAR, Oct 18 (UNI and PTI) — Militants made a series of grenade attacks on security force camps and pickets in the city while one body was recovered at Ganderbal today.

Official sources said militants lobbed two hand grenades on a security force picket at Exhibition Road today which exploded after hitting a tree. No damage was reported. Ministers use the Exhibition Road daily to reach the Civil Secretariat.

Militants also hurled three hand grenades on a Border Security Force (BSF) camp at Karan Nagar this afternoon. However, the grenades missed the intended target and exploded without causing any damage.

The sources said one person was injured in a grenade explosion near the security force picket near medical college last night.

The body of Abdul Rashid Baba was recovered from Ganderbal this morning while forces recovered one AK rifle, two magazines, 130 rounds, 1 kg of explosive and one rifle grenade at Nowgam last evening.

JAMMU: Six Pakistani militants of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen outfit and an army jawan were killed in a fierce gunbattle in Surankote in Poonch district late last night, official sources said here today.

Another militant was gunned down by troops in the Mahore area of Udhampur district in Jammu region, the sources told PTI.

In an ongoing "seek and destroy" operation, the Rashtriya Rifles troops cordoned off the Hari Budha area and launched a search for some heavily- armed militants last night, they said.

During the search, a group of 10 to 12 militants hiding on a mountain peak attacked the troops with grenades and opened fire on them, critically injuring three jawans.

In the two-hour-long encounter, the troops killed six militants and injured four while other militants managed to escape, the sources said adding one of the jawans succumbed to his injuries while on way to the military hospital.

An operation to trace the militants was on and additional troops had been sent to the area to aid the operation.

The killed militants were identified as Danish alias Hydri, Surankote "sector commander" of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Sher Hyder, Hakim Bhai, Tipu alias Abudin, Zahirbhat and Qumar Din.

The deceased jawan was identified as Manju Pilbri and those injured were identified as Sepoy Bhagat Himat and Parmanand Himat.

Troops seized five AK rifles, one rocket propelled grenade, one sniper rifle, 13 grenades, two pistols, 19 detonators, seven improvised explosive devices, 236 rounds of ammunition, one wireless set, 11 magazines and a large quantity of explosives, the sources said.

Additional troops have been sent to the area to help the operation party.

Reports from Udhampur said troops gunned down a militant in the Rakha forest area of Mahore tehsil in Udhampur district last night. One AK-47 rifle and some ammunition was recovered from him.