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17 massacred in J&K

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

At least 17 persons were gunned down by unidentified militants at village Morabachai in Poonch district, 230 kilometres from Jammu.

One person who had received serious injuries in the shooting was shifted to a hospital for treatment.

A senior police officer told rediff.com over phone from Jammu that a group of heavily armed militants barged into the houses of the majority community in the village and sprayed bullets on the inmates in the dead of night killing 17 civilians including five women and a minor.

The police said a massive hunt has been launched to nab the killers.

No one has yet owned responsibility for the killings.

Senior police and security force officers along with reinforcements have been rushed to the spot.

In the Kashmir valley, the police said four Border Security Force personnel including two officers were killed in a fierce gun battle at village Helmatpora in northern Kupwara district.

The BSF also killed three militants during the cordon-and-search operation. The village was cordoned off by the BSF late yesterday and searches mounted.

During the house-to-house searches, the BSF came under heavy fire from the hiding militants. The troops returned the fire and the gun battle continued till this morning.

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