Two ultras killed during Kupwara infiltration bid

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, September 30

Two militants were killed during an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Saturday. The gunfight took place on Saturday morning after a joint team of the Army and the police launched an anti-infiltration operation in Kumkadi area of the Machil sector of Kupwara.

Acting on a critical intelligence input provided by the Kupwara police, the security forces were successful in killing two infiltrating terrorists, the police said on X.

Weapons seized

• Two AK rifles, four AK magazines, 90 rounds of ammunition, a Pakistan-made pistol, a pouch and Rs 2,100 in Pakistan’s currency seized.
• This is second infiltration bid in two weeks. On September 16, the Army had killed three infiltrators along the LoC in the Uri sector of Baramulla.

According to a police spokesperson, security men observed the movement of terrorists and intercepted them when the latter fired indiscriminately upon the joint team. The fire was retaliated, leading to the elimination of two heavily armed unidentified terrorists, he said.

The operation is still ongoing with security forces maintaining a strong presence in the area. Officials said two more militants were believed to be hiding in the area. A search operation is going on, a senior police officer told The Tribune. The identities and the group affiliation of the killed terrorists are being ascertained.

Subsequent to the encounter, a significant cache of weaponry and items were recovered from the site. These included two AK rifles, four AK magazines, 90 rounds of ammunition, a Pakistan-made pistol, a pouch and Rs 2,100 in Pakistan’s currency, according to officials. The police said the slain terrorists were heavily armed, equipped with sophisticated weaponry which indicated their malicious intent to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the Valley. “Due to the timely and effective response by the police and the Army, the terrorists’ plans were foiled and a significant threat to peace and stability in the area was neutralised,” the spokesperson added.

This is the second infiltration attempt that has been foiled by the security forces in the past two weeks.

On September 16, the Army said it had killed three militants after they tried to sneak into Kashmir along the LoC in the Uri sector of Baramulla district. The body of one of the infiltrators was not recovered as it fell across the LoC and Pakistan army prevented its recovery while firing at Indian positions.