Army foils infiltration bid; 3 militants killed

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 26

The Army today foiled an infiltration bid on the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir’s Nowgam sector. In the operation three unidentified militants have been killed so far and the operation is still on.

Security sources claim that so far this year the infiltration figure has been more than that of the entire last year. In 2015, 35 militants had infiltrated and this year so far, sources said, 40 had already been able to sneak into the Valley to step up violence along with the local militants. There are certain security agencies that put the number of infiltrating militants this year much higher.

The latest gunfight erupted in the dense forest of Tutmar Gali in the Nowgam sector, 120 km northwest of Srinagar, when the Army’s 35 Rashtriya Rifles battalion reportedly intercepted a group of freshly infiltrated militants close to the Anti Insurgency Obstacle System (AIOS).

“When they were challenged by the Army, the terrorists opened fired, which was retaliated, triggering a gunfight. In the gunfight so far three unidentified militants have been killed,” Defence spokesman Col NN Joshi said. “The operation in the dense forest is still underway.”

The Army had laid a tight cordon around the area and blocked all the exit points to ensure that militants don’t escape. The Army had also rushed the additional forces to the area, he said.

This is the first infiltration bid along the Nowgam sector this year that has been foiled by Army. The sector is manned by the Army’s Baramulla-based 19 Infantry Division. There was recently an attempt by militants to sneak into the Valley in neighbouring Kamalkote in the Uri sector, which was foiled by the Army. Prior to this infiltration bid, Pakistan had violated ceasefire along the LoC in the sector on May 16.

Most of the infiltration, this year, the sources said had taken place through the Kupwara sector.

Meanwhile, a search operation was carried out on the outskirts of Srinagar after an input about the presence of militants in Dhara Harwan. However, the searches were later called off as militants could not be traced.