Three unidentified militants killed in Kashmir

Army foils this year’s first infiltration bid

Three unidentified militants were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez sector of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district as Army foiled this year’s first infiltration bid on Wednesday.

An Army official said they foiled an infiltration bid and killed three militants in the operation. “Troops guarding the LoC noticed a group of militants trying to sneak into the valley under the cover of darkness in Gurez sector on Tuesday night. Troops fired up at the heavily-armed militants who tried to escape taking advantage of the thick forest cover,” he said.

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“Three militants were killed in the operation,” the official said and added this was the first infiltration attempt of the current year that was foiled by the Army.

However, police confirmation of the killings and identification was still awaited. With extra security layers and better detection technology, zero infiltration had been recorded along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir so far this year.

In recent years, the Army brought better technology and smart components to plug the porous terrain along the LoC for stopping infiltration.

In a separate incident a 35-year-old woman lost her life in the same area due to intense shelling from the Pakistani side, officials said and added a health department employee also got injured in the shelling from across the LoC.

A senior police officer said a woman identified as 35-year-old Rahimi Begum of Dassi, Bagtore, Gurez and employee of health department Manzoor Ahmad Malik sustained serious wounds after a shell landed in the residential area late Tuesday evening.

“The injured woman was shifted to hospital where she succumbed,” he said.

An Army official said heavy cross border shelling started last night at LoC near Bagtore sector while the troops gave a befitting reply, resulting in heavy damage to Pakistani Army posts and casualties to Pakistani soldiers.

In another ceasefire violation in Karnah sector of northern Kupwara district five people, including two women sustained injuries due to heavy shelling by Pakistan.

Authorities have ordered the closure of all educational institutions in Karnah and have also snapped mobile Internet services in the area.