Hostage drama ends, three captives killed; others safe

Jammu, Aug 28 (PTI) Indian Army's Special Forces shot
dead the last of the three suspected LeT militants early
Thursday and freed 7 hostages including 4 children they seized
in a house near here, ending a 19-hours hostage drama which
also saw the killing of three men captives by the ultras.

"The operation is over. Our Special Forces have killed
third militant early Thursday," army spokesman Lieutenant
Colonel S D Goswami told P.T.I.

Goswami said that seven hostages, including four
children, their mother who sustained bullet injuries in her
leg and two other persons were safe after the prolonged
hostage drama and gunbattle between the security forces and
militants.

However, three hostages were killed by the militants
before the final assault was launched, he said.

"The final assault was lunched at 1145 p.m. last night
by the special forces of the army and entire family of the
house owner including four children were rescued," he said.

Ashok Kumar, a teacher and the tenant, one territorial
army jawan who went inside during the operation and another
person were killed, the army spokesman said.

After killing all the militants holed up inside the
two-storeyed house at Chinore, 20 kms from Jammu city, the
army moved in and rescued the hostages.

Thirty five-year-old Sunita Devi, the injured mother
of the four children aged between two and nine, was admitted
to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu.

The children have been identified as Sheetal (9),
Vipin (2), Ashad (7) and Kajal (4). Two other captives who
were rescued were the house owner's brother and sister-in-law.

Earlier in the evening, security forces killed two of
the three militants who were inside the house. PTI AB