Three killed, four injured in Kashmir gunfight

Two men of the counter-insurgency force Rashtriya Rifles and a militant were killed in a gunfight between security personnel and separatist guerrillas in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town Tuesday morning, police said. Four people including three troopers were injured.

A captain and a trooper were killed and so was a militant in the hours-long gunfight that was still going on when reports last came in.

A senior police officer told IANS that personnel of Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police surrounded two houses in Chinkipora locality of Sopore town, 54 km from here, early morning following information about presence of militants inside.

"The holed-up militants were asked to surrender upon which they resorted to heavy automatic gunfire at the surrounding security men.

"One captain and a jawan were killed in the militant fire and four other persons including three jawans and a civilian were wounded," the police officer said.

Later, the securitymen found that one militant had also been killed.

The injured troopers have been evacuated to the army's base hospital in this summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir while the injured civilian has been admitted for specialised treatment in the bone and joint hospital here.

"The gunfight is still on and additional reinforcements have been rushed to the spot to ensure that the holed-up guerrillas do not escape," the police officer said.