Two guerrillas killed, army officer injured in Kashmir gunfight

Two guerrillas of the Hizbul Mujahideen were killed and a senior army officer and a policeman injured in a gunfight Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

The gunfight ensued when when personnel of 42 Rashtriya Rifles, state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a joint operation in Handoora forest area near Tral town in Pulwama "following specific information about the presence of militants" there, a senior police officer told IANS here.

"When the militants were surrounded and challenged to lay down their weapons, they resorted to indiscriminate firing resulting in injuries to the commanding officer of the RR battalion and a head constable of police," he said.

The injured security personnel were evacuated while the militants' fire was retaliated.

"Two militants identified as Firdous Ahmed and Shiraz Ahmad of Hizbul Mujahideen group have been killed. Both the slain militants were locals. The operation is still going on," said the police officer.

Reports also said the commanding officer of the RR battalion who led the oper ation from the front against the guerrillas had sustained critical injuries.