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Army puts ‘Faulad’ post toll at 21
Captain among 4 soldiers killed; Gondola damaged

Excelsior Special Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 10: Army today claimed that a total of 17 Pakistani troopers had got killed in the last evening’s clash between Indian and Pakistani security forces at "Faulad" post between Gulmarg and Uri but added that none of the dead bodies had been recovered. It confirmed the death of four Indian soldiers, including a Captain. In another attack on an Army camp at Wakoora, Ganderbal, one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) got killed and another soldier injured. Militants have eliminated one more Army source in Bandipore locality of north Kashmir.

A Defence spokesman this evening claimed that in all 17 Pakistani soldiers were "believed to be killed" in the Pakistani Army’s attack on "Faulad" post of Gulmarg-Uri sector last evening. Even as Army had claimed last evening that dead bodies of all the 10 Pakistani soldiers alongwith their weapons had been recovered, this evening it claimed that the bodies could not be retrieved "due to continued heavy artillery shelling and excessive snowfall". The spokesman said that the dead bodies were lying close to LoC and the "retreating" Pakistani soldiers left behind one rocket launcher, two rocket-propelled grenades and three rifles.

The Army spokesman at 15 Corps Headquarters here confirmed that four Indian soldiers, including a Captain, had also died in the attack.

However, reliable non-official sources insisted that four personnel of 12-Bihar regiment had got killed and nine others injured. The soldiers killed in action were identified as Captain G S Suri, Lance Naik Birendra Nath, Virendra Kumar and Manoj Kumar.

Informed sources at Gulmarg told EXCELSIOR that during the exchange of artillery shelling, one of the shells fell yards away from the G-2 station of Gulmarg Gondola ropeway at Kongdori and caused minor damage to the structure. When the Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation (JKCCC) officials visited the spot this morning, they found glass-panes of the station shattered. Even as there was no major damage or any loss of life, the JKCCC decided to close down the ropeway operation "for the time being". The real site of encounter is reportedly 12 kilometres from Gulmarg. Officials said it was difficult to ascertain whether it was a targeted attack or a stray missile of Pakistani or Indian Army had incidentally fallen at Kongdori. "Had it been a specific attack on Gondola, more of such shells could have hit the spot," said an official.

As already reported, ten Pakistani soldiers had got killed last evening while making an unsuccessful attempt to capture the "Faulad" post, at LoC, in Gulmarg-Uri sector amid exchange of heavy artillery shelling by the two sides. While India has lost four soldiers in repulsing the attack, four more Army personnel had got killed in another clash between Army and militants at Amrohi, close to LoC, in Karnah area of Tangdar. The ninth Armyman died last evening, when a large group of militants attacked the company headquarters of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) 5th Bn at Wakoora, Ganderbal.

Official sources said that the heavily armed militants, mostly foreigners, appeared at Wakoora village in the Chief Minister's constituency of Ganderbal last evening at 2015 hours and mounted an attack from three different directions. Militants used rockets, RPGs and assault rifles. Troops retaliated but failed to cause any damage to the militants who all managed to escape safely. One JCO, namely Subedar Nathu Ram, got killed and another soldier sustained minor injuries. Reports from Ganderbal said that troops later set ablaze the house of a civilian, namely Sonaullah Ganai and also conducted a cordon-and-search operation today. One live RPG was found at a spot which was defused by experts.

Meanwhile, the critically-injured Mahjabeen wife of Mohammad Ramzan Kuchhai, resident of Parimpora Srinagar, has succumbed to injuries at SKIMS Soura. As already reported she and her daughter Kausar Jan had got injured and the son-in-law of the Kuchhais, Farooq Ahmed Nath, killed when unidentified gunmen had barged into their house and opened indiscriminate fire on the inmates last evening. Today's investigations revealed that rivalry between two groups of timber-smugglers was behind the attack and it had little connection with militancy inspite of the fact that an ex-militant was involved.

Reports from Bandipore said that during last night, gunmen intruded into the house of a counter-insurgent source of Army, namely Abdul Ahad Lone, at Bunlipora and shot him dead.

Highly decomposed body of a militant has appeared from the debris of a devastated house at Gopalpora, Anantnag today. Six militants got killed in an encounter with police and security forces at the same house four months ago. Five dead bodies had been recovered on the day of encounter and the sixth remained untraced which ultimately surfaced today. Officials claimed that it was that of a Pakistani militant.

RDX bomb seized in RS Pura
Troops destroy 4 Pak bunkers in Nowshera

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 10: In a major retaliatory firing, Indian troops today destroyed four Pakistani bunkers on the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera and Lam sub sectors as firing intensified between Indo-Pak troops on the LoC and international border.

Security forces recovered a consignment of explosives including five kgs RDX from Korotona area of RS Pura tehsil.

A Defence spokesman said Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian positions at Lam and Nowshera sub sectors early this morning. Army from this side retaliated and exchange of firing continued for more than three hours. Exchange of 82 mm mortar firing was also reported from the sector.

Indian troops, who returned the firing very effectively, destroyed atleast four bunkers on Pakistani side without suffering any casualty or damage on their own side. Some casualties were also expected on Pakistani side in Indian retaliatory firing, details of which were awaited.

The spokesman said troops were maintaining a high degree of alert along the LoC in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Reports of exchange of firing between Indo-Pak troops were also received from six other posts on the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch. However, no casualty or damage was reported from Indian side in the cross-firing.

Reports said Pakistani Rangers also resorted to firing on Indian positions on the international border in RS Pura and Hiranagar sub sectors. The intermittent exchange of firing between the two sides continued throughout the last night without any major damage on either side. Official sources described the firing on the international border as ‘routine’.

Meanwhile, army and RS Pura police today recovered a consignment of explosives from forward area of Korotona in RS Pura sector this morning.

Official sources said an alert civilian, working in the fields, noticed a large packet lying in the field and became suspicious. He informed at a nearby army picket. A police party from RS Pura police station and army personnel rushed to the spot and took the consignment in custody.

The consignment include a powerful RDX bomb weighing five kgs, capable of causing extensive damage besides some time pencils and detonators. The bomb was defused by a Bomb Disposal Squad of the army.

Sources said the militant(s) has smuggled the explosives from across the border and dumped them in the fields due to presence of security forces and police in the area. The explosive device had to be picked-up by them later and was to be used in Jammu at a crowded place.

Troops and police were carrying out searches in Korotona and adjoining villages to track down the militants responsible for smuggling the explosives but so far no arrest has been made.