Soldier, Pak intruder killed in LoC gunfight, infiltration bid foiled

The incident came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an event in Drass to mark the 25th anniversary of the Kargil War, said Pakistan was trying to “keep itself relevant through terrorism and proxy wars” and the “enemy will be given a forceful response”.

“Taking advantage of bad weather and poor visibility along Line of Control in Machhal Sector, a group of two to three armed personnel crossed the LC and fired on a forward Army post from close proximity,” the Defence PRO said, adding that “alert troops” responded and killed one Pakistani intruder whose identity was being ascertained.

“During this intense fire exchange, two of our brave soldiers also suffered some grave injuries and were hence immediately evacuated to the Base Hospital at Srinagar. Unfortunately, one of these bravehearts has succumbed to his injuries,” the Defence PRO said.

Sources in the J&K Police, however, said five Army personnel, including an officer, were injured in the LoC attack and were evacuated to Army’s 92 Base hospital in Srinagar, where one of them succumbed.

Jammu and Kashmir has seen a surge in terror attacks since June 9, when a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu’s Reasi came under attack, killing nine people. At a meeting on June 13 to review the situation in the wake of the attacks, Prime Minister Modi directed the security establishment to deploy “the full spectrum” of “counter-terror capabilities”.

On July 24, a soldier and a militant were killed in a gunfight in Kupwara district’s Lolab valley. It came days after four Army personnel, including a Captain, were killed in an encounter with militants in Doda district’s Desa area on July 15.

Referring to Saturday’s incident, the Defence PRO said militants had made similar attempts to infiltrate the LoC in the past too. “(They) were actively aided and abetted by the Pakistan Army and have exploited thick foliage and poor visibility but have always, as today, been successfully thwarted and disrupted.”

Meanwhile, the J&K Police on Saturday released the sketches of three militants who were believed to be behind the July 15 Doda attack. The police also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for each militant, adding that the identity of the informer will be kept secret.

According to sources, security forces have had three brief exchanges of fire with the militants during combing and search operations launched in the upper reaches of Doda and Desa. The last such encounter was on July 18 in Desa’s Upper Bhatta forests and two soldiers were injured.

With inputs from ENS, Jammu