Srinagar, May 20: Three Hizb-ul Mujahideen militants, including a self-styled divisional commander, were killed on Wednesday in a 10-hour gunfight with the security forces in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.
On a tip-off, a team of the police, 44 Rashtriya Rifles and the CRPF cordoned off Drubgam village in Rajpora, 45 km from here. The militants, holed up in a house, opened fire, forcing the security forces to retaliate.
The militants were identified as Lateef Dedeer, a divisional commander, Rafiq Ahmad Gujri, a battalion commander, and their bodyguard Munir Ahmad.
Dedeer deserted the Special Operations Group of the police seven months ago and fled with weapons before joining the outfit that rewarded him by making him the divisional commander.
Two AK 47 rifles, two pistols and a pouch were recovered from the site. The house of Abdul Rashid Khan, where the militants were hiding, was damaged, the police said.
During the day, another gunfight broke out between militants and security forces at the nearby Yugershar. The village was cordoned off after the security forces received information militants were hiding in a house.
—-Agencies