Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 3: In a major success, Army today gunned down three heavily armed infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC) in Sabjian sector of Poonch district when a group of militants was trying to intrude inside the Indian territory from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“Three heavily armed militants were eliminated after fierce exchange of gunbattle for half an hour at 5 pm today in forward area of Mukhyari, located close to the LoC in Sabjian sector of Poonch district,’’ official sources said.
They said the alert troops spotted movement of militants through surveillance devices and immediately challenged them to surrender. However, the militants, who were five in numbers, moved ahead by opening firing on the Army personnel and made desperate attempt to infiltrate inside the Indian territory.
The troops brought down heavy volume of firing on the infiltrators, leading to fierce exchanges that lasted half an hour in which three militants were killed.
There were no casualties or damage on the Army side in the firing, sources said, adding that bodies of all three militants have been recovered from the LoC. The militants were Pakistani cadre of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and were carrying large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives with them.
Troops have recovered the consignment of weaponry from the spot.
Sources said Army has launched massive search operations along the LoC to ensure that no militant managed to infiltrate into the Indian side though reports indicated that a total of five militants tried to intrude and two of them had retreated to PoK after the killing of their three colleagues and finding troops on very high alert on the Indian side.
Though identity of the slain militants hasn’t been established, all of them were believed to be the Pakistani nationals, sources said, adding they were equipped with automatic weapons, hand grenades, other explosive material and ammunition.
“The killing of three top militants was a big blow to the terrorist outfits and their handlers across the LoC, who had been waiting to push militants into the Indian territory for a long time but alert troops have thwarted their all designs,’’ sources said but didn’t rule out more infiltration attempts by the militants on the LoC.
The Army Commanders have been maintaining that a large number of militants were camping across the LoC and IB awaiting an opportunity to sneak into this side but alert Army jawans on the LoC and BSF on the International Border (IB) haven’t allowed the infiltration attempt to succeed.
With onset of winter, security forces were anticipating increase in the infiltration attempts on the LoC when visibility will be reduced to very low in view of foggy weather conditions.
“In view of this, Army and BSF have already pressed their winter management strategy into force to foil intrusion bids by the militants,’’ sources said, adding that a high alert has been sounded by the Army and BSF along LoC and IB respectively.
There have been reports with Army and BSF that a large number of militants had been camping close to the LoC in launching pads on Pakistan side waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the Indian territory but high level of alertness maintained by Army and BSF haven’t allowed them to succeed.
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