Two top al-Badr militants, including a chief co-ordinator of the outfit, were killed in a gun battle with security forces on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir, where an overground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen was arrested and 100 kg of explosives were seized since Saturday night.
   The al-Badr militants — chief co-ordinator Syed Dawood Shah alias Tahir, a resident of Pakistan, and his Kashmiri associate Abdul Rashid Bhat — were killed in a gun battle at Wuyan-Khrew in Pulwama district, a defence spokesman said.
   The encounter, which lasted nearly 10 hours, broke out early on Sunday when Rashtriya Rifles troops along with a police party launched a search operation in the village following information about presence of militants, police said.
   Two residential houses, where the militants had taken shelter, were damaged in the encounter. Two AK assault rifles and some ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.
   Terming the killing of the chief co-ordinator as a “major blow” to the outfit, the spokesman said the loss of Shah will force the militant group to the backfoot.
   He said troops of five Rashtriya Rifles recovered 100 kg of explosives, 10 hand-grenades, some UBGL (under-barrel grenade launcher) grenades, detonators and 217 rounds of AK ammunition from a field at Kaubagh in Ganderbal last night.
   An overground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen, Azad Ahmad Bhat, was arrested by a patrolling party of 30 RR from Handwara area of Kupawara district, the spokesman added.
   A resident of Shotgund-Payeen village, Bhat is the associate of a dreaded Hizbul militant Mushtaq Ahmed Malla, he said adding, two UBGL grenades have been recovered from his possession.