Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 26: The General Officer Commanding 15 Corps Lieutenant General Gurmeet Singh today said that Army foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector today and killed 10-12 militants.
The Army Commander said that the troops at the LoC in the Keran sector of Kupwara district of North Kashmir spotted a group of 30 heavily armed militants trying to cross over to India from Pakistan and challenged them which was followed by a fierce gun battle.
“Heavy fire fighting is currently going on. Our forward troops have reported seeing 10 to 12 dead bodies of the terrorists,” said the General.
Singh said: “The situation is under our control at the point of conflict. We had specific intelligence inputs. The infiltrators tried to evade thermal sensors by camouflaging themselves by using grass and bushes but the troops detected them and foiled the bid.”
“The group was cordoned off troops almost 200 to 300 metres from the LoC fencing on the Indian side and a gunbattle ensued”, the GOC said.
Singh said that it is rough and rugged hilly terrain amid forests where vegetation is being grown by the locals. “With the help of UAVs, the troops took pictures of the dead bodies,” he said.
Without divulging the details of number of causality, Singh said that once the operation ends they would be able to give the number of militants killed. “But, so far, there is no casualty on the part of Army”, he said.
A statement issued this evening by the Defence spokesman in Srinagar said:”A massive and desperate infiltration attempt by the terrorists, comprising of the mixed group of terrorists from Jaishe-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba, AL Badr and Hijb-ul-Mujahideen is being eliminated by the alert troops deployed in the Keran sector of the Frontier Kupwara Division through intense operations launched since the night of September 24. The operations are likely to result in elimination of a number of terrorists.”
The statement said that based on credible and specific intelligence inputs about likely infiltration attempts, the troops were alerted. “On the night of September 24, terrorists attempted infiltration over wide frontage with multiple contacts. Terrorists were detected by the alert troops, effectively engaged and stalled near the areas close to the LoC fencing. Intense fire fight ensued resulting into possible elimination of a number of terrorists. To ensure that the terrorists are not able to infiltrate into the hinterland, additional reinforcements were rushed to the area of operations and an effective cordon was established.
The terrain being High Altitude, rugged and difficult, the operations are being undertaken deliberately. Intermittent firing by the terrorists suggests that some terrorists are still alive and present in the area. Troops deployed in the forward areas and in contact with the residual militants have reported that the dead bodies of 10 to 12 terrorists can be seen by them. The operations are in progress”, the statement added.
The Army General said that “desperation among terrorist outfits may be on two counts that is their urgency to push in as many terrorists as possible before the winters set in and the impregnable counter infiltration grid established by the troops deployed along the LoC”.
Giving reference of the successful operations of past, the General Officer Commended the Intelligence Agencies for credible intelligence, the troops and the commanders, who with their commitment to the National Security have successfully eliminated infiltration attempts in the past. He further assured that the security situation is well under control and their Army will continue to work towards sustained peace in the Valley.
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