Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Nov 19: Army and police have trapped a heavily armed group of militants in Lolab forests of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district and two of the trapped militants have been critically injured in the operation.
Police said that 18-Rastriya Rifles of Army and police launched an operation in Devar Lolab forests of the frontier district of Kupwara on Friday against a group of heavily armed six militants. “Last night the group was intercepted resulting in a fierce encounter in which two militants of the group were critically injured”, police added.
Police said that they have recovered warlike stores from the forest area and have seen the blood of the injured militants at the last night’s encounter but they could not find the militants there.
Police said that the militants managed to flee from the last night’s encounter site but were intercepted again this afternoon resulting in heavy gun fight.
More troops were rushed to the forest area and the operation was extended to more areas so that the militant group may not flee from the cordon that was also tightened.
However, sources said that the militants are still inside the cordon that was laid around them on Friday. Army and Police are tracking the movement of the group by using latest gadgetry.
Sources said that the group was in the forest area for past several months and Army and police was tracking their movement till they were trapped last night. “The group had infiltrated through Macchil sector of Kupwara in July this year and had made the forests as their hideout”, sources added.
Meanwhile, the operation that was launched against the recently infiltrated militants in Nowgam sector of the frontier district of Kupwara has entered sixth day.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Baramulla based 19 Division of the Army, Major General Bipin Rawat, told Excelsior that the cordon and search operation is still on against 3 of the militants of the 5 member group that infiltrated through Nowgam sector of Kupwara last week.
Two militants, 3 Army personnel were killed and 2 injured on Wednesday last week when the infiltrated group was intercepted by the Army near the LoC.
The Army has laid ambushes in the forests and are not making any movement in where it suspected that the three militants are hiding so as to avoid any causality.
Army felt that the militants are hiding near the LoC since their two colleagues were killed. They said one of them is injured and Army is waiting them to make movement so as to eliminate them.
Army recovered two AK assault rifles and large quantity of ammunition and Rs one lakh Indian currency last week from the dead militants last week.
Large number of heavily armed militants this year managed to infiltrate into Kashmir but majority of them are said to be in the forests. Army maintained that they have put pressure on the infiltrated militants and won’t allow them to come out of the forests to the hinterland.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar based 15 Corps, Lt General Om Prakash, recently put this year’s infiltration figure at 40. But other agencies put the figures of this year at over 100.
Army said that there are around 500-600 militants waiting across the LoC in PoK to infiltrate into Kashmir for past one year. “The tight vigil along the LoC and border fence has made their efforts difficult”, Army observed.
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