SRINAGAR : Alert troops foiled a major infiltration bid when they gunned down 12 militants near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir, a senior Army officer said.
He said troops guarding LoC noticed a group of heavily armed militants sneaking into this side from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on September 24 morning under the cover of darkness.
When challenged, militants opened fire with automatic weapons on troops, he said, adding the fire was retaliated effectively.
The officer said reinforcement was rushed to the woods from different directions from nearby camps.
The operation continued, he said, adding so far 10 to 12 militants have been killed.
“We could see the bodies of militants at different places in the wood,” he said. But because the firing was still going on, the bodies could not be recovered, he added.
He said as per inputs, the militants belong to different outfits, including Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahdeen (HM) and Al-badr.
The officers said recently an infiltrator was killed by troops in Machil sector.
He said desperate attempts were being made from across the border to send more trained militants into the Kashmir valley before the infiltration routes were closed due to snowfall.
However, he said, troops were already on high alert to foil any infiltration bid.
A large number of militants were waiting across the LoC in launch pads to sneak into the Valley, he said. (AGENCIES)
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