An over 40-hour gunfight between militants and security forces ended on Friday morning in south Kashmir. Two bodies were found near the debris of five damaged houses.
A fresh exchange of fire was reported in the morning in Hassanpora-Arwani village bordering Kulgam and Anantnag, around 60 km away from Srinagar. "The firing has stopped. The debris is being sieved through for bodies," said a police official.
A fierce gun battle started on Wednesday afternoon after security forces cordoned off the village where a group of militants had come for a meeting.
Five house were damaged in the encounter. At least two houses have turned into mounds in the prolonged encounter.
The police are yet to identify the bodies of the deceased. Two AK-47 rifles were seized from the spot.
On Thursday, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin had claimed that three local militants were killed as he paid tributes to them.
Protesters clashed with the security forces for the third day. One civilian died and another sustained injuries critically on Thursday.
