*Tension flares up on LoC amid heavy mortar shelling
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 22: In another gruesome act on the Line of Control (LoC), which could further worsen the already strained relations between India and Pakistan, the Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistan comprising Special Forces and highly trained militants carried out another attack on the Army personnel in Karmara area of Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch sector this afternoon in which two Army jawans were martyred and two others injured while troops retaliated swiftly killing two members of the BAT team.
Immediately after the BAT attack, the Indian Army launched massive offensive against Pakistani troops and decimated their four posts from where the BAT members had been launched into the Indian side to carry out the attack, official sources told the Excelsior adding that massive exchange of mortar shelling and firing took place between the two sides for about four hours.
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Sources said three to four members of the BAT entered about 500 to 600 meters inside the Line of Control (LoC) in Karmara area of Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch sector at around 2 pm and targeted forward area domination Army patrol with automatic and semi-automatic weapons and grenades. Two Army jawans were martyred and two others were injured in the attack.
The troops swiftly retaliated from all forward positions in Chakan-Da-Bagh area. Sources said one of the BAT members was gunned down on spot while another fell down and was killed while retreating to PoK.
Naik Jadhav Sandip Sarjerao and Sepoy Mane Savan Balku attained martyrdom in the attack while Sepoy Sachin Arvade and Lance Naik Reddy Sahyhan were injured. The injured have been airlifted from the spot and admitted in the Military Hospital. Sources said all four were members of forward area domination Army patrol party.
Martyr Sarjerao, 35, is a resident of Aurangabad, Maharashtra and is survived by his wife Ujala while Sepoy Balku, a resident of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, was just 25 and a bachelor. He is survived by his mother.
Troops from other forward posts immediately targeted the fleeing BAT members by bringing down heavy firing on them. While one of the BAT members was killed on spot, two others were seriously injured in retaliatory firing by the Indian troops. Second BAT member reportedly fell down close to the LoC and was reportedly killed.
Sources said the BAT members could be either Pakistan Special Forces or dreaded terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfits or mixture of Pakistan army and terrorists.
Sources said Pakistan army resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing during the BAT action to give cover to the intruders to facilitate attack and return. However, the Indian side retaliated very effectively to the shelling and firing and, in the process, targeted four forward posts of Pakistani troops across Karmara, which had facilitated the BAT attack.
In the shelling and firing, all four posts of Pakistan army were destroyed. However, number of the casualties suffered by Pakistan army in the posts destroyed by Indian troops couldn’t be ascertained.
After evacuating the casualties from forward area, Indian side retaliated very effectively to Pakistan shelling and firing and the exchanges continued till 5 pm.
Sources said body of one of the BAT members is within the visual reach.
According to sources, the BAT members had managed to infiltrate about 500 to 600 meters inside the LoC and had positioned themselves about 200 meters from forward Indian posts. However, the troops were quick to retaliate and eliminated at least two of them.
Generally, the BAT attacks are reported during night or wee hours of the morning but this time, the BAT attack took place in the afternoon and Army was quick to spot the intruders and immediately brought down heavy firing on them. Sources pointed out that LoC in Karmara had thick growth of bushes and sarkanda.
This was the second BAT attack in Poonch district in less than two months. On May 1, two Army jawans were martyred in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district in the BAT attack. Later, troops had carried out major counter-infiltration attacks on Pakistani posts in Krishna Ghati and Nowshera sectors eliminating several Pakistan army personnel and destroying their forward posts and bunkers.
Sources said though two Army jawans were martyred and two others injured, the BAT attack has been foiled in view of killing of the two BAT members. The number of casualties on the Indian side could have been higher had the troops not retaliated well in time and targeted the BAT members.
Karmara forward village, where the BAT attack took place falls in Chakan-Da-Bagh area where cross-LoC bus plies every Monday between Poonch and Rawlakote (PoK) while trade takes place through same areas between two parts of divided States for four days from Tuesday to Friday.
Since May 1 BAT attack in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, the exchange of mortar shelling and firing between India and Pakistan has almost become a regular feature especially in Nowshera, Krishna Ghati and Bhimber Gali sectors along LoC in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. A number of people had to migrate in Nowshera sector due to Pakistan shelling especially after three civilians including two females were killed.
Sources described situation along the LoC as “very tense”.
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