Jammu: The Army troops today (Jan 9, 2004) shot dead four top militants belonging to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, including a self-styled area commander, in an encounter in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

In a pre-dawn offensive, Rashtriya Rifles Troops cordoned off Kashtigarh forest belt in Doda hills on a tip off about the presence of a group of militants in a cave, sources said. During searches, the Army patrol party came under heavy firing from a high-altitude area, the sources said, adding one jawan was injured in the firing.

Troops retaliated and in a fierce gun-battle, which was still on, four militants were killed, the sources said.

All the militants belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen and one of the slain militants have been identified as Abu Khani, a self-styled area commander of the militant outfit, they said.

Four AK rifles, seven grenades, 124 rounds, three IEDs (improvised explosive devices), one radio set, two pistols, three UBGL grenades and large quantity of ration was recovered, sources said.

The encounter was on when the reports last came in and additional troops have been rushed to the area, where four to five more militants are still trapped, they added.