Five militants shot dead in Kulgam operation by security forces

Hizb commander Gulzar Ahmad Padder alias Saif was one among them.

Security personnal in action during an encounter in Kashmir. File

Five militants, including a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander, were killed in an operation by security forces in south Kashmir's Kulgam on Saturday. "All five militants were killed in the Kulgam operation," said spokesmen of the police and the Army in separate statements.

A police spokesman said the militants belonged to the Hizb and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Hizb commander Gulzar Ahmad Padder alias Saif was among the militants killed. "Paddar was a close associate of slain Altaf Kachroo. They were involved in a series of terror attacks," said the police.

Google Maps image locates Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

The police identified the others as Faisal Ahmad Rather alias Dawood, Zahid Ahmad Mir alias Hashim, Masroor Molvi alias Abu Darda and Zahoor Ahmad Lone alias Rehman Bhai.

"Zahoor alias Rehman and Mansoor were involved  in series of terror offences besides recruitment of locals," said the police. Arms and ammunition were also seized from the site of encounter, said the police.

Earlier, the security forces used an improvised explosive device to dismantle the house in Chowgam area where the militants were hiding and firing at them.

The operation was launched on Friday night and a contact with the hiding militants was established in the morning.

Train services in south Kashmir have been suspended and Internet services stopped. A spontaneous shutdown was reported from parts of south Kashmir. Protesters clashed with the security forces near the site of the operation and five of them were injured