Eight persons, including six militants, a financial chief of Hizbul Mujahideen and an army jawan, were killed in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, a police spokesman said.
Hizbul financial chief Farooq Ahmad Dar was killed along with his close associate Mohammad Iqbal in a gun-battle with security forces at Machipora village of Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara, the spokesman said.
However, the residents of Machipora accused the security forces of killing the duo in a fake encounter.
In another encounter, troops of Rashtriya Rifles shot dead three Hizbul Mujahideen militants during search operations at Hablish village in Anantnag district of South Kashmir.
Two Kalashnikov assault rifles and a pistol were recovered from the deceased.
The spokesman said troops shot dead one more local militant associated with Jaish-e-Mohamamd outfit, Bashir Ahmad Malla alias Abu Bilal, in an encounter at Wularhama in Anantnag.
In another incident militants shot dead an army jawan Fayaz Ahmad Bhat at Bandipora in Baramulla district.Bhat, a former counter-insurgent joined the army last year and was posted in his hometown. A civilian identified as Lal Hussain Gujjar was killed in an exchange of fire between militants.
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