Doda (J-K), Nov 10 : Security Forces in Jammu and Kashmir gunned down four alleged foreign trained militants of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit including their district commander in Doda on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, troops of Rashtriya Rifle and police launched a joint search operation in the Bagwa area of the district on Saturday.

Alleged HM district commander identified as Mohammad Shafi alias Hashim Khan got killed in the encounter on Saturday. The encounter was completed on Sunday evening with the killing of three militants who were accompanying the HM district commander.

“The SP (Superintendent of Police) carried out operation and he asked the militants to surrender. The militants while pretending to surrender kept talking to the officer and at the same time kept crawling towards the suitable position to open fire on the forces. And then they opened fire. Anyhow they had come with the mindset of do or die. We had to open fire in retaliation,” said Prabhat Singh, SSP, Doda.

Security Forces recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition that included AK rifles, one Chinese pistol, and five AK magazines.

Officials say clashes between Indian troops and Muslim militants have intensified as militants descend on to the plains to avoid the icy winters of the Himalayan mountaintops.

Multi-stage elections are due to start from November 17 in Kashmir, which has witnessed for the past several months some of the biggest anti-India protests.

Kashmiri separatists demanding an end to Indian rule in the region have called for a complete boycott of the elections.

In the past, separatist guerrillas have attacked and killed scores of candidates and political workers, vandalised polling stations and attacked rallies to thwart elections.

But early this year, the United Jihad Council, a Pakistan-based militant alliance fighting Indian troops in Kashmir, rejected the use of violence to force a boycott of the elections. (ANI)