Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 16: Army has intensified its operation in Uri forests after militants trapped by them last evening proved to be a group of recently infiltrated militants from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
An Army officer told Excelsior that they had information about the presence of two militants in the Lacchipora forests of Uri in North Kashmir when they launched an operation last evening.
The army officer today said now it has been established that it was a group of at least 3-4 militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), who had managed to infiltrate through Kamalkote sector of Uri on September 2. He didn’t rule out presence of a top commander in the infiltrated group as militants were desperate to infiltrate commanders as they have lost top leadership in the past one year.
The Army spokesman had claimed on September 2 that the infiltration bid was foiled by Army after they found a group of heavily armed militants trying to infiltrate into Kashmir valley by crossing the fence in Kamalkote sector of Uri.
However, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 19 Division, Bipin Rawat, had told reporters on that day that Army had apprehensions about infiltration of some of the militants as they had noticed marks near the fence.
The GOC had said that day that Army had noticed movement of around 3 infiltrators near the fence on September 3 but they were fired upon and after that they didn’t notice any forward movement. He had said that the night surveillance devices also didn’t pick up any movement. But in the morning at first light after the searches of the area Army had found marks near the fence but it could have been of leopards of dogs. Without taking any chance an army operation was launched in Kamalkote forests but no militants were found.
Now the Army said that some of the militants of the group had succeeded in infiltrating that night and it is they who were trapped in Lacchipora forests.
The Army has recovered so far one body of a Pakistani militant, four magazines, 4 UBGL grenade, one pistol, one hand grenade, one pistol ammunition with magazine, one wireless set, one GPS set, one Thuraya Satellite phone, one knife and some medicines. However, another body has not been recovered so far and Army presumed that the other militant is injured and hiding somewhere.
Commander 79-Brigade told Excelsior that the operation in the forests would continue till the militants are tracked.
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