A soldier was killed in an exchange of fire as the army on Wednesday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The army identified the soldier as Havildar Ankit Kumar.
In a statement on X, the Chinar Corps said, “Chinar Corps honours the supreme sacrifice of Braveheart Havildar Ankit Kumar, who laid down his life while undertaking operational duty along the Line of Control in Uri, Baramulla. Chinar Warriors salute his immense valour and sacrifice, express deepest condolence and stand in solidarity with the bereaved family.”
As per people privy to the matter, Kumar was killed during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday when the army patrol came under fire. They said there is every likelihood that the soldier could have been killed in a Pak BAT action close to an army post.
Soon after, the army launched an operation in the area.
Inspector general of police Virdhi Kumar Birdi said they are yet to receive operational details about the operation. “As the incident has taken place on the LoC, it will take some time to get clarity on the operation,” IGP told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar when he was asked whether it was a BAT action in Uri.
{{/usCountry}}Inspector general of police Virdhi Kumar Birdi said they are yet to receive operational details about the operation. “As the incident has taken place on the LoC, it will take some time to get clarity on the operation,” IGP told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar when he was asked whether it was a BAT action in Uri.
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, a soldier lost his life while on duty near the Line of Control in the same sector. The soldier was identified as Sepoy Banoth Anil Kumar who was deployed on the LoC which falls under the jurisdiction of 19 infantry division.
Operation Akhal had reached completion stage: IG Birdi
IG Kashmir said the operation Akhal had reached a completion stage as it entered Day 13 on Wednesday.
“Operation Akhal has reached a completion stage and rest details, if important, would be provided to you,” Birdi said.
The operation is going from past 13 days. Now the security forces have decided to mop up the operation as no fresh firing has been reported from the forests where hundreds of troopers were involved in search and cordon operation.
Sources privy to details said that there is likelihood that terrorists have managed to escape from the cordon. On August 9, two soldiers were killed when militants and security forces exchanged firing in deep forests of Akhal. The operation turned to be one of the longest operations in south Kashmir.
The army, police and the CRPF had launched an operation on August 1 after they got specific inputs about terrorist presence in the forests. Due to tough terrain and dense forests the operation got prolonged. Top police and army officers visited the operation spot and got briefing from the troopers involved in the operation.