A security person takes position near a building where terrorists were hiding during an encounter near the under construction mini-secretariat at Allah Pir area in Poonch. (Photo: PTI)
A security person takes position near a building where terrorists were hiding during an encounter near the under construction mini-secretariat at Allah Pir area in Poonch. (Photo: PTI)
The Army foiled three infiltration bids from across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after killing four militants. This was the highest number of attempted ingress reported in one day from Tanghdar, Nowgam and Gurez sectors of Kupwara and Bandipore districts in recent months.
Separately, three militants and a J&K policeman Rajendra Prashad were killed in a fire fight in an area of Poonch district, which is also close to the de facto border, officials said.
Army sources here said that a heavily armed group of militants sneaked into Nowgam sector of Kupwara early on Sunday but when challenged it opened fire at the Indian troops, triggering a fierce encounter in which four militants have been killed so far.
“The encounter started after alert troops intercepted the terrorists’ group. Four AK-47 rifles and a large cache of ammunition, and other war-like stores were found on the slain men believed to be foreign terrorists,” the sources said.
A defence spokesman here added that the Army troops noticed some suspicious movement near the 12-feet-high fence along the LoC in Nowgam sector and challenged the intruders.
“The infiltrating terrorists opened fire towards them and they (troops) quickly and effectively ret-aliated,” the spokesman said, adding that the operation was still in progress.
The sources said that similar attempts were foiled by Army troops in neighbouring Tangdhar and in Gurez sector of Bandipore during the day. The operations at these places were underway as reports last came in, the sources said.
The defence spokesman said that the infiltration bid in Gurez’s Bagtoor area was made at 4 am and that the militants are reported to have been for-ced to return to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The encounter on the outskirts of Poonch town started after the police received information abo-ut the presence of three heavily-armed militants in an under-construction government building. The building is close to an Army camp and apparently the militants were planning to attack it, officials said.
However, immediately after receiving information about the presence of militants, the area was cordoned off by members of the J&K police’s counterinsurgency special operations group who were soon joined by Army troops and other security forces, reports said.
Defence spokesman Colonel S.D. Goswami, at the Udhampur-based Army Northern Command, said that a fire fight between security forces and militants erupted on Sunday morning when the J&K police patrol “encountered terrorists on the fringes of border town of Poonch”. He said that the Army units deployed in the area on receiving the information immediately reacted with quick reaction teams.
He said that after initial brief exchange of fire the militants took shelter in an isolated house and the under-construction mini-secretariat building. “In initial exchange of fire, one J&K police jawan was martyred and one has sustained. Also, one civilian has been injured and evacuated to the District Hospital, Poonch,” the spokesman said adding that the encounter was underway and that “efforts are on to neutralise holed up terrorists with minimum collateral damage.” Latest reports from Poonch say that all the three holed up militants have been killed.
