The Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and gunned down five militants in Gurez sector on Friday, officials said.
Soldiers posted on the LoC in Gurez sector of Bandipora district acted after spotting some movement, an official spokesman said. The group of militants was allowed to enter Indian territory, where they were challenged.
This triggered a gun battle. “There was an infiltration in Kanzalwan of Gurez sector near the LOC in which five militants have been killed so far," the spokesman said.
Four AK-47 rifles were recovered at the site. The army also retrieved the bodies of three militants.
Officials said a massive search operation was underway as more militants were believed to have sneaked across the LoC.
In a separate development, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Balakote sector of Poonch district on Thursday night, injuring a soldier and a civilian.
The Pakistani side resorted to heavy shelling in Balakote sector. Police said the civilian was injured in Basooni village, where six people died in firing by Pakistani troops during August 15-16.
The injured person was taken to a nearby hospital on Friday morning.
{{/usCountry}}The injured person was taken to a nearby hospital on Friday morning.
{{/usCountry}}The Poonch and Rajouri sectors of the LoC have witnessed firing by Pakistani forces for the past four days. The Indian Army has asked civilians to remain alert.
A sub-inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) died in firing by Pakistani troops in Rajouri sector on September 13, the day the heads of the BSF and Pakistan Rangers agreed to come up with a mechanism for maintaining peace along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
The chiefs of the BSF and Pakistan Rangers met for talks in New Delhi against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in bilateral ties and a spike in militant violence and firing along the frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir. Two Pakistani militants were captured during recent terror attacks in the state.