Girl, three militants killed in Valley anti-terror op

Srinagar: Three militants and a 10-year-old girl were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara Tuesday night.

The girl, identified as Kaneeza, was hit by stray bullets. Her brother Faisal was critically injured, an official said. “They were hit by stray bullets more than 100 meters away from the encounter site,” police said in a statement.

It said the duo was evacuated to hospital “where the girl succumbed to injuries”. “The boy was later referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment and his condition is stable,” an official said. A report said that Kaneeza was the daughter of local resident Muhammad Khushi Chaki, in whose house the militants were hiding.

Police and Army officials said security forces laid siege to Kund Nar at Kupwara’s Batapora Tuesday evening to take on a group of militants, suspected to be Pakistani nationals, hiding in a house close to a stream surrounded by a thick forest.  

A Special Operations Group jawan, Danish Ahmed, was injured, officials said. They said AK-47 rifles with ammunition were found on the slain men, adding that the identity of the militants is being ascertained. Hospital sources said the jawan received a bullet wound on the chest, and his condition is “critical”.

Officials said a cordon-and-search operation was launched in the area following a tip-off about the presence of militants. While the security forces were sealing the area, the militants started firing.