Twelve people, including 10 members of a village defence committee, were killed when militants attacked Mardhar village in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir late on Friday night.

A woman and a child were also killed in the attack.

A senior police officer said heavily armed militants attacked the village, about 20 km from Surankote town, and engaged the VDC members in a pitched battle.

There is no information as yet if any militant was killed in the firing.

Senior army and police officers have rushed to the spot.
 
A helicopter has been arranged to bring the injured to the Jammu Medical College hospital.

Village defence committees were constituted and provided with arms and ammunition by the state government to protect remote villages from militant attacks.

The 10 VDC members killed in Mardhar were all Muslims.