Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 24: Army today killed three fidayeen in Kalgi area near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Baramulla district and prevented last year’s Uri Brigade headquarter type attack in which 19 Army personnel were killed.
General Officer Comma-nding (GOC) 19 Division of Army Major General RP Kalita told Excelsior that they had inputs for long that militants are trying to carry out fidayeen attack in Uri this month.
“We were already alert. Last night, we got information about presence of three terrorists in Kalgi area of Uri and we launched an operation that resulted in the encounter. There were 19 houses in the area and we tried to avert any collateral damage and in the evening we neutralized all the three terrorists”, said Major General Kalita.
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“They seem to be newly infiltrated and must have come two nights before they were trapped in the village. We have recovered three bodies and weapons and operation is over. However, we will continue searches of the area to look for other items they must have been carrying”, the GOC said.
However, sources said that Army had inputs that militants were planning a major attack on Army installations in Uri area for long and they had planned it for the month of September.
And last night, Army’s 4 Para, 8 Rashtriya Rifles, 21 Sikh, 53 CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a massive operation in Kalgi area in Uri after receiving a specific input about the movement of these militants.
Early in the morning, security forces rescued a family where one of the militants was hiding and later the militant was killed in the gun battle. Another militant was hiding in the Masjid and he was later killed and third one was killed this evening. Three AK series rifles, 10 AK magazines, 10 grenades, one UBGL and other war like stores were recovered from their possession.
A police spokesman said that during night, it was found that one of the militants had forcibly entered into a civilian home and had taken the family members as hostage. “In the early morning, the civilians were rescued and the terrorist was eliminated. Hunt for two other terrorists was launched and one terrorist was found to have taken refuge in a local mosque. Therefore keeping in view the sanctity of the mosque, a J&K Police team entered into the mosque and without causing any harm to mosque, eliminated this terrorist as well. The third terrorist was also killed later”, police said.
Last year on 18 September, four militants had stormed Army Brigade headquarters in Uri, close to the Line of Control, killing 19 soldiers before being neutralised.
And three security personnel were injured today in a grenade attack by militants in a North Kashmir town.
The grenade lobbed by the militants inside a security forces’ vehicle in Sopore town of Baramulla district could have led to more casualties but an alert special police officer saved many lives by throwing away the explosive.
Three security personnel – two SPOs and one CRPF jawan – suffered minor injuries in the grenade blast.
“The alert SPO threw away the grenade to a safer place, thus saving the lives of his colleagues and civilians. The grenade was hurled by militants inside the security forces’ vehicle,” a police spokesman said.
In the meantime, Army’s 47 Rashtriya Rifles today busted a militant hideout in the forest area of Chak Kigam Handwara area of Kupwara district. A large cache of explosive material and ammunition, including one anti aircraft gun and other heavy arms were recovered from the hideout.
The weapons recovered included one anti aircraft gun, one RPG, one LMG, one AK 47 rifle with 3 magazines, two pistols with 4 magazines, one IED, one RS Kenwood and one dagger.
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