M A I N   N E W S

50 kg RDX seized; 6 ultras shot

Srinagar, December 15
Sixteen persons, including a ruling National Conference leader, six militants and two security personnel, were killed while the security forces captured four ultras and seized 50 kg of RDX in Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Official sources said militants attacked a patrol of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir police at Tral, 30 km from here, around 1.25 p.m.

The sources said SOG personnel returned the fire and in the encounter, SPO Mohammad Akbar and two civilians were killed and nine others wounded.

The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of some of them was stated to be critical.

A report from Baramula said militants fired upon a search party of the Rashitriya Rifles at Tekyabal Sopore in north Kashmir this morning. Troops immediately sealed the area and engaged the militants in a fierce encounter during which four militants, believed to be foreigners, were killed.

A soldier and two girls also lost their lives in the encounter and two securitymen were injured.

Four AK assault rifles, 16 magazines, a wireless set, 10 hand grenades and 200 rounds were seized from the encounter site.

Meanwhile, the Army and the state police, during a routine checking on the Srinagar-Anantnag route, seized about 50 kg of RDX from a passenger bus this afternoon at Khanabal

Militants abducted Abdul Ahad War, an NC block president, and another person from their house in the frontier district of Kupwara late last night and later shot them dead early this morning.

Security forces gunned down a militant at Kunzer last evening and seized some arms and ammunition near the site of the encounter.

The security forces arrested four militants along with 28 grenades, a pistol, four magazines and 92 rounds in the city during overnight operations.

Militants entered the house of Kali Dass in Noshera area of Rajouri district and shot him and his wife, Shanti Devi, dead and injured Vijay Kumar, his son early this morning.

A militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Chunga Mendhar. An AK rifle, four magazines, a hand-grenade and 70 rounds were seized from the slain militant. UNI

TNS adds from Jammu: Militants laid an ambush at Rampur, near Uri, in which an Army officer was wounded. The militants opened fire on the Army jeep but the troops retaliated, forcing the ultras to flee.

Meanwhile, security and intelligence agencies have launched a drive for tracing four cars possibly stolen by militants. The drive has been launched following reports that these cars could be used by militants for carrying out suicide attacks.