Eight people including an army major, a navy commando, two security personnel and four militants were killed during the 24 hours till Wednesday evening in two gunfights between the security forces and the guerrillas in north Kashmir, officials said.
A major of the Rashtriya Rifles, Suresh Suri, and a security personnel were killed in Banyari area of Bandipora district Wednesday in a nearly-24-hour gunfight in which two guerrillas were also killed.
“Troops of Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir police moved into Banyari Tuesday evening following a tip-off about the presence of terrorists there," Bandipora District Superintendent of Police Sheikh Junaid told IANS.
“The terrorists holed up in a house were asked to surrender upon which they resorted to automatic gunfire at the surrounding troops. One major of the Rashtriya Rifles and a naik were killed in the terrorists' gunfire initially and three troopers were injured.
“The terrorists were engaged in a sustained gunfight which lasted nearly 24 hours at the end of which both the holed-up terrorists were killed," Junaid said.
“The gunfight is now over and searches are continuing in the area," he said.
One of the slain guerrillas has been identified as Pasha of Hizbul Mujahideen and the other as Musa who initially operated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) but had recently joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.
The house in which the guerrillas were holed up was destroyed in the gun battle.
Police said both slain guerrillas were Pakistani nationals and Pasha had been active in guerrilla activities in north Kashmir for nearly eight years.
In another gunfight Tuesday in Tungmulla forests of the north Kashmir's Baramulla district, a navy commando, a security personnel and two guerrillas were killed.
As security forces challenged the guerrillas hiding in a forest, they started firing, triggering a gun battle.