Eight militants killed in Kashmir

Security forces foiled a major infiltration bid by killing five Pakistani militants along the Line of Control in Jammu, while three militants and an army jawan were killed in separate incidents in the Kashmir valley, official sources said on Saturday.

The infiltration bid was foiled by alert army troops who observed a group of heavily-armed Pakistani intruders attempting to sneak in from Shahpur area of Poonch district early today, the sources said.

Troops laid multiple ambushes and challenged the intruders who opened indiscriminate fire in a bid to flee back, the sources said. The troops retaliated effectively and in the ensuing gun battle lasting several hours five infiltrators were killed.

A huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the possession of militants. The local police cordoned off the village to conduct house-to-house searches following information about presence of militants.

In another encounter, the sources said, a foreign militant  was killed in a gun battle with security forces at Rajni in Karnah sector of Kupwara district in north Kashmir last night. Some arms and ammunition were recovered from the deceased.