Srinagar: Two hardcore Pakistani militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed today (Aug 7, 2004) after an 18 hour-long gunbattle in which two Special Operation Group personnel lost their lives, while a Fidayeen (Suicide attacker) was killed by security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ultras also carried out a grenade attack on the house of a senior counter-insurgent turned politician Papa Kishtwari in Pulwama, official sources said today. No causalities were reported in the incident.

After an 18 hour-long gunbattle, two JeM militants identified as Furqan-ul-Islam and Omar Ayar were killed in an operation by Special Operations Group of local police and Rashtriya Rifles at Konibal-Pampore in Pulwama district of South Kashmir, they said. The encounter began yesterday (Aug 6, 2004) afternoon when the search party raided a house to flush out the hiding ultras.

The ultras hurled grenades and opened heavy fire killing two SOG personnel. Five securitymen three SOG personnel and two Army men and a civilian were also injured.

The troops retaliated and the gunbattle continued till this morning during which two houses were gutted.

Later bodies of the two Pakistani militants were recovered from the debris of the house, the sources said.

A BSF (Border Security Force) spokesman said a Pakistani militant of JeM, who was a member of Fidayeen (Suicide) squad of the outfit, was killed at Kraltop-Shikargah in Tral area of Pulwama district today.

Acting on specific information about presence of a Fidayeen, BSF along with police cordoned the area. While troops approached the target house, militants holed up inside resorted to heavy firing, the spokesman said.

He said troops immediately retaliated in which one militant who was identified as Adil Naeem alias Abu Tallah, a resident of Gujarat was killed. An AK rifle, three magazines, 43 rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from the deceased militant.

They said an Army jawan who was injured in a gunfight with militants at Arigoripora near Kangan on Srinagar-Leh national highway yesterday succumbed to his injuries late last night raising the toll in the encounter to seven.

Three militants, two Armymen and a woman were killed in the daylong encounter yesterday.

The spokesman said that militants abducted and shot dead one Abdul Hamid Lone, a former militant, in Frastipora in Pulwama district.

Militants hurled a grenade on the house of counter-insurgent turned political Papa Kishtwari at Frastbal in Pulwama last night, but no one was hurt in the attack, the sources said.

They said Kishtwari, who unsuccessfully contested Assembly elections in 2002, was present inside the house at the time of the attack.