J&K militants kill city Major

Hyderabad/Srinagar
Sept. 23: Major Suresh Suri, a native of Hyderabad, and three other Army personnel were killed in two separate long-drawn gunbattles with militants in north Kashmir during which four terrorists, including two top Pakistani Hizbul Mujahideen commanders, were also shot dead.
While the encounter in Bandipora district ended on Wednesday evening after 25 hours, the other in a forest in Baramulla continued to rage for the third day. The gun battle between security forces and terrorists in Bandipora district in north Kashmir claimed Major Suri and Lance Naik Kushal Singh’s lives on Wednesday.
Major Suri, 30, of the Rashtriya Rifles was deployed in Bandipora for a year. Into his eighth year of service, he was trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the prestigious Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun. He was also judged the best student in the counter-insurgency course and finished an instructive reading in junior command course during his stint with the Indian Army.
“Major Suri was a brave officer who led his men from the front. He was an instructor in counter insurgency and was martyred in a hand-to-hand combat with the terrorists,” said a defence spokesperson from Srinagar.
According to defence sources, the Army party led by the major barged into the house where the terrorists were hiding. The Army and police had strengthened the cordon around the house during the night to prevent any attempt by the terrorists to escape under the cover of darkness. While other members of the party came out, the two soldiers were trapped in the heavy firing and killed.
Major Suri is survived by his mother and his wife Pallavi. His mother, who stays at Malkajgiri in the city was taken away by relatives on Wednesday after they got to know of the tragic news. Pallavi, who married Suresh Suri just a year ago, is currently studying in Mumbai.