Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): A major infiltration bid was foiled by the Indian Army at the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshehra sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district today, as three heavily armed terrorists were killed while a search is on for the fourth one who sustained bullet injuries in the action, defence officials said today.
Inspector General of Police (IPG) Jammu range, Mukesh Singh told NVI that three heavily armed militants have been killed in an ongoing operation at Jammu’s Nowshera sector. “Fourth militant has sustained bullet wounds. Search to track him down is on,” he said.
Defence sources said that at the site of encounter, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered which includes a US-made M-16 rifle, two AK 47 rifles and an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher along with grenades.
They said that an infiltration bid took place on the intervening night of May 29 and 30 along LoC at Kabootar-Gala area of Nowshera sector.
“While the infiltrators were trying to sneak in, an explosion took place that was possibly after one of the infiltrators walked over the anti-personnel mine. Soon after, the ambush parties of Army stationed there cordoned around 400 meters area after which a gun battle broke out that lasted for several hours,” they said.
They said that for the past three days, a major combing operation was going on in the area during which bodies of three militants were found on LoC. “The bodies of slain militants who are three in number are difficult to retrieve as there is intense firing from the across,” defence sources said.
However, search teams of the Army have managed to recover the arms and ammunition along with other materials carried by the infiltrating group. “Two AK 47 rifles along with 13 magazines, one American M-16 rifle with six magazines, one 9 mm Chinese pistol with one magazine, one UBGL launcher, six UBGL grenades, five hand grenades, 30 loose rounds of 9 mm, 85 loose rounds of 5.56 mm, 14 loose rounds of 7.62 mm were recovered from the site of the gunfight,” they said.
A defence source said that the operation is on and there is a possibility that a few more militants may be hiding in the area. “Search for the injured militant is on. It is believed that he may be gone back to the other side of the LoC,” he said, adding that combing operation will continue for a few days in the sector to rule out the presence of any more militants in the area.
This comes almost 2 months after the Indian Army foiled a major infiltration attempt at LoC in north Kashmir’s Keran sector in early April, killing five terrorists while losing five of its soldiers from elite forces in an operation.
