Three militants killed along LoC in Kashmir

Three militants were killed as the army claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Machhil sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednesday.

A defence spokesman said three militants were killed when they were trying to infiltrate into the Indian side of the LoC in Machhil. “The search operation is on in the area,” he said.

Sources said the gunfight broke out after the army noticed suspicious movement in the area early on Wednesday morning following information about infiltration attempts by a heavily armed group of militants.

“The militants fired on the search party, which was retaliated by the army. In the ongoing gun battle, three unidentified militants have been killed so far,” sources said, adding that the possibility of more militants hiding in the area could not be ruled out.

Sources said that the slain militants could be foreigners who were trying to infiltrate through the LoC at a time when the snow has started melting from the mountains and ridges in Kashmir.

On May 26, five militants were killed as the army foiled a similar infiltration bid along the LoC in Tanghdar sector of the same district.

On May 19, four infiltrators were killed by the army in a gunfight in Vilgam forests of Kupwara.

A senior army officer said they have placed ambush parties at new locations and places along the LoC which militants and their guides don't know till they are trapped. It has helped in bringing down infiltration levels.

As per official data, more than 120 militants managed to infiltrate last year, while an equal number of locals joined the militant ranks during the same period.

Meanwhile, the Lashkar-e-Toiba claimed responsibility for the attack on an army camp at Hajin area of Bandipora district on Tuesday night.

A local news gathering agency, GNS, quoting Lashkar spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi said that the outfit carried out the 'fidayeen (suicide) attack' on an army camp in Hajin.

On Tuesday night, a group of militants opened fire and lobbed UBGL grenades upon the army's 13 Rashtriya Rifles camp, which also has a police station and SOG camp in the vicinity. However, no loss of life was reported.

The local media reported that while firing was on for more than half an hour, a separate group of militants appeared at a mosque in Hajin and appealed to people of the town to come out.