5 militants killed in mosque shootout

Security forces on Wednesday gunned down five Lashkar-e-Tayiba militants holed up in a mosque in Pulwama district of southern Kashmir.

The security forces killed the five militants late evening after a fierce gun battle, in which two army jawans were critically injured. They were taken to a hospital.

There was no damage to the mosque at Khilangund village, 42 km from Srinagar.

The militants took refuge in the mosque when security forces surrounded the village in the morning following a tip-off.

When the security forces surrounded the mosque, the militants started firing. The troops strengthened the cordon after fresh reinforcements reached the spot.

On Tuesday night, militants had shot dead a police officer, Noor Mohammad, who was on leave visiting his family at Wachi village in the district.

Sources said the militants dragged the assistant sub-inspector out of his house and shot him dead.

A ruling People's Democratic Party worker, Nazir Ahmad Raina, was also gunned down on Tuesday night by unidentified militants inside his house at Surfrao village north of Srinagar.