One militant killed, one injured in Kashmir gun battle

SRINAGAR - Security forces have surrounded a mosque in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district Monday after a militant injured in gunfight took shelter there. Another militant was killed in the gun battle.

“One terrorist was killed and another injured in a gunfight with the security forces in forest foothill village of Dabban in Bandipora district early today. The injured guerrilla has entered the local mosque in the village,” Lieutenant Colonel J.S. Brar, spokesman of the army’s Srinagar-based 15th Corps, told IANS here.

“The troops of Rashtriya Rifles and the local police have stopped firing at the site as the local Imam and village elders are trying to persuade the injured terrorist to surrender,” he added.

Senior police and army officers have rushed to the spot to ensure that the situation is defused without causing any damage to the mosque.

The gun battle between the security forces and the guerrillas started early Monday morning when a group of militants moving around in the forest area was surrounded by the security forces and challenged to surrender.

“The terrorists started firing at the security forces, triggering an encounter in which one terrorist was killed and an injured terrorist entered the local mosque,” the spokesman said.