6 Zakir Musa men killed in J&K

Six militants of the Al Qaeda-affiliate Zakir Musa's group Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, including its Kashmiri deputy, were killed on Saturday in a gunfight with the security forces in Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, the Defence Ministry said.

"Six terrorists have been killed in the Tral area encounter. Weapons and war-like stores have been recovered. The operation is over," Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said here.

The Kashmiri militant killed is from the Arampora village where the gun battle had taken place earlier in the day. Soliha, alias Rehaan Khan, is the deputy chief of Zakir Musa, and is believed to be among those killed.

Mobile Internet service in the district and rail services between the valley and the Bannihal town of Jammu region was suspended.

The other slain militant identified so far is a foreigner, police said.

Soldiers of Rashtriya Rifles (RR), troopers of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and special operations group (SOG) men surrounded Arampora village early on following specific inputs about militant presence, a police officer said.

"As the cordon was tightened, the militants fired triggering the encounter in which six militants were killed belonging to Zakir Musa outfit, Ansar Ghazwatul Hind.

"Exact identity of the other slain militants is being ascertained," the police officer added.

--IANS

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