Two guerrillas killed in gunfight in Kashmir's Pulwama

Two guerrillas were killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district and efforts are on to identify them, police said.

"Two militants have been killed in the Goripora (Awantipora) gunfight near the plant nurs ery in Pulwama district," a senior police officer told IANS.

"Firing exchanges have stopped, but searches are still going on in the area. The exact identity of the slain militants is being established," he said.

Security forces had exchanged gunfire with separatist guerrillas in Puchal (Kakapora) village of the district earlier on Wednesday but the guerrillas had escaped to the nearby Goripora village near the Awantipora plant nursery.

Security forces comprising the counter insurgency Rashtriya Rifles (RR), special operations group (SOG) of state police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) consequently threw a cordon over a large area to ensure that the guerrillas did not escape.

Initial reports had said about eight to nine guerrillas including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander were involved in the gunfight with the security forces but there was no official word on whether the top LeT commander had managed to escape from the site or not.