JCO dies in sniper fire; 3 militants killed in south Kashmir

Tribune News Service
Jammu, October 22

A Junior Commissioned Officer was killed by Pakistani army snipers in Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, sources said on Tuesday as cross border tensions continue between India and Pakistan.

Three militants of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were killed in an encounter in the militancy-infested Tral area of south Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbagh Singh said here.

The DGP said two of the three militants killed could be foreign terrorists. “Further details will be available once the operation ends,” he added.

The police chief said this module of Jaish was involved in the killing of two brothers from the nomadic Gujjar (nomad) community in August this year. 

In Poonch, Indian officials accused Pakistan of shelling the Indian side. Two civilians were wounded in heavy shelling along the Line of Control in Poonch’s Mendhar sector. Indian officials said the shelling began at 1.20 pm and said the Indian Army retaliated “strongly”.

The two civilians were taken to a hospital, sources said. Meanwhile, residents of villages in the area took cover in their homes and underground bunkers, officials said, adding that children in the area’s schools were also evacuated to safety.

Meanwhile, some officials also said the Indian Army has defused three live mortar shells fired by Pakistan troops along Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

“A tragedy has been averted,” officials said.  With PTI