Five unidentified militants killed along LoC

Five unidentified militants were killed on Monday as army foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Machil sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Sources said troops guarding the LoC in Machil sector noticed movement of heavily armed militants, who were trying to infiltrate into Indian territory. "As the troops challenged the infiltrators, they opened fire and in the retilatory action five unidentified militants were killed," they said.

Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia confirmed that an infiltration bid was foiled in Machil sector in which five militant were killed. “Five weapons have been recovered and the operation in the area is in progress," he said. The identity and the group affiliation of the slain militants was not immediately known.

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 has resulted in killing of more militants while infiltrating.

"There is pressure on militants waiting on launching pads across the LoC to infiltrate due to depleting number of militants in the State in view of successes achieved by security forces,” sources said and added the Army has enhanced its capability and boosted its strategy to check the infiltration attempts on the LoC.

Last month, in the same sector, another infiltration attempt was foiled by the army in which four militants were killed. The Machil encounter is the latest in a series of such exchanges with army hardening its stand against militants after a recent spurt in violent street protests and attacks on security forces.

Nearly 130 militants have been killed so far this year along the LoC and the hinterland across the Valley, which is highest in the last eight years. The security forces are going after militants as part of operation "hunt down" and on the basis of a “hit list” of militants.

In the week of this month, 19 people, including 14 militants, three civilians and two army personnel have been killed in militancy related incidents.