Srinagar: Five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, including a top commander, were killed today (July 22, 2004) in a fierce encounter with security forces in Lolab area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

On specific information that LeT militants were meeting in one of the houses, security forces cordoned off Tekipora village in Lolab area of the district, the sources said.

As the troops advanced to search the houses, they came under heavy fire from the ultras which was retaliated and the exchange continued for several hours. Five militants were killed but so far only three bodies have been retrieved, they said.

Security officials believe that the deceased militants include a top LeT commander was functioning under the code name of Colonel Usman.

Sources said as many as 44 structures including several houses and cowsheds were gutted in the fire caused by the exchange of artillery between the two sides.

A Defence spokesman, however, said the fire was caused by bursting of a gas cylinder in the house where the ultras were hiding. He said as per the initial reports only four houses were gutted in the fire.

The spokesman said the search operations had not been started due to the tremendous heat emanating from the debris of the gutted structures.