2 ultras killed as army foils infiltration bid

Two militants were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez sector of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday as the army foiled another infiltration bid. Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said three weapons were also recovered.

A source said on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, troops guarding the LoC noticed the movement of a heavily armed group of militants trying to infiltrate into Indian territory.

“As the troops challenged the infiltrators, they opened fire and tried to hide in nearby forests. The army tightened to cordon off the area, and in the morning, a massive search operation was launched and contact established with the hiding militants,” the source said.

The operation was still underway as additional reinforcement from other army units were rushed to the area and the vast forest area was cordoned off.

A senior army officer said the deployment of additional troops on the LoC along the traditional infiltration routes in north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Kupwara districts this year seemed to have paid dividends, as a number of militants were killed at the entry points itself.

“Over 25 infiltration attempts have been foiled in the recent months and 50 ultras have been killed along the LoC,” the officer said.

“With additional troops, the army has placed ambush parties at new locations and places, which militants and their guides would not be aware of till trapped. It has helped in bringing down the infiltration levels,” the officer said.