J-K: Three militants, 1 civilian killed in Tangdhar gun battle

Three militants were killed and a soldier was injured in a gun battle on Wednesday after an attack on an Indian Army camp in Tangdhar near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednedsay, an official said.

According to sources, one civilian was also killed in the stand-off. Earlier, there were reports that a soldier was killed. But there was no official confirmation.

Army officials said the militants have been firing at the camp, which is located near the Line of Control, from the Kulsoori ridge. The militants hurled grenades, and there were reports that an army oil depot and some vehicles caught fire.

“They (militants) have not stormed the camp, but an exchange of fire is on,” said an official.

Unconfirmed reports said a group of five to seven militants had recently infiltrated in the area and might have tried to attack the camp. “Whether the men have entered the camp is being ascertained,” a source said.

Speaking to HT, army’s Srinagar-based spokesperson, Col NN Joshi, said the firing was heard between 6.30am to 7am in the morning. He confirmed the casualties in the gunfight.

A general alert was sounded in the area and security forces, including the BSF and Jammu and Kashmir police, were asked to increase vigil.

Read: Militant hideout busted in Jammu and Kashmir

The incident comes a week after a colonel died and two soldiers sustained serious injuries in an encounter with terrorists in Kupwara district -- of which Tangdhar sector is a part.

Another operation is on in Rajwar forests in Handwara where a lieutenant colonel and two jawans were injured early this week. An army officer was also killed in the area last week.

Across Jammu and Kashmir, there were 70 infiltration bids last year during which 65 terrorists managed to sneak in while 136 were pushed back. In 2013, there were 91 bids by 280 terrorists and 97 were able to slip past the army’s three-tiered counter-infiltration grid.

The recent spike in violence in the state came against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in relations between India and Pakistan following the cancellation of talks between the national security advisers in August.

India has insisted that Pakistan must address the issue of terrorism to create grounds for the resumption of bilateral talks.

Read: Army colonel dies in gun battle with terrorists in Kashmir