Army foils another infiltration bid in Keran sector in Kashmir,7 militants killed
The area near the LoC is tightly cordoned after 30-40 militants had tried to sneak in recently.
The Indian army said on Saturday that it killed seven militants in two separate gunbattles along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of Kashmir,as the operation against the infiltrating ultras in the area entered the 12th day.
Related: Army patrol was the likely target in Keran
Three rebels were killed on Friday in another clash near the border,said the officer,who spoke on condition of anonymity,in line with military policy.
He said the Indian army recovered the 6 bodies and some weapons.
Related: 120 ceasefire violations by Pak this year
The Indian army says a large number of insurgents trained and armed by Pakistani forces try to enter Indian territory each year around this time,before snow starts blocking Himalayan passes and their movement. Pakistan denies the charge.
The latest fighting occurred near the abandoned border village of Shala Bhata,where the army says its troops have been battling dozens of armed rebels for 12 days.
There was no independent confirmation of the incidents.
Lt. Gen. Gurmeet Singh,an Indian army commander in Kashmir,said on Wednesday that Indian soldiers encountered up to 40 rebels on Sept. 24 in Shala Bhata.
He said 12 militants were killed and five Indian soldiers wounded in the fighting at Shala Bhata,which is about 150 kilometers (95 miles) northwest of Srinagar,the main city in Indian-held Kashmir.
The commander denied Indian media reports that some Pakistani soldiers had occupied the village or any Indian military outposts there.
However,he suggested that some Pakistani special troops might be among the infiltrators.
The Pakistani military denied its troops had crossed the into Indian territory.
A senior Indian police officer,however,said some intruders had occupied some forward Indian posts in Shala Bhata. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
A 2003 cease-fire agreement between India and Pakistan has largely calmed the Kashmir border issue. But the two sides occasionally accuse each other of violating it by firing mortars or gunshots.
Intermittent exchange of fire between ultras and troops was going on in the sector where the operation against the infiltrating militants entered the 12th day on Saturday.
A group of heavily-armed militants had tried to infiltrate into Kashmir through Keran sector on September 24 but were intercepted by the Army.
(With PTI inputs)
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