Army foils three infiltration bids in Kashmir, kills four militants

Srinagar: Four militants were killed while trying to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) as alert army troops foiled three bids by terrorists to enter into India in the wee hours on Thursday. The army, which has shored up its defences along the LoC, foiled three infiltration bids – two in Naugam sector and one in Rampur – of North Kashmir during the intervening night of 5 and 6 October. [caption id=“attachment_3038230” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] In one of the encounters in the higher reaches of Naugam, 112 kms from here, the troops cornered a group of infiltrating militants and have killed four so far, a senior army official said. The official said a combing operation was continuing amid apprehension about presence of more terrorists in the area. Technical surveillance was being maintained, besides using illuminators to prevent the militants, who could be present, from escaping under the cover of darkness. The army repulsed two infiltration bids in Rampur and Naugam, raining bullets on the militants and forcing them to return to PoK. The militants, who had managed to cross the fence, had to beat a retreat after army patrols challenged and opened heavy fire on them. Pakistani army provided cover fire on both the occasions but the militants had to retreat, the official said. The infiltration bids come barely a day after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval briefed the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) that Pakistani army has mobilised about 100 terrorists across the LoC to push them into India to carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. At the meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was stated that the Pakistani army was planning attacks by terrorists on Indian defence personnel and security establishments besides select civilian targets in the wake of 29 September surgical strikes. According to the assessment given by Doval, nearly 100 terrorists were readying to infiltrate India from unconventional launch pads. Indian army had carried out surgical strikes on 29 September, crossing over the LoC in Kupwara sector in the Kashmir Valley and Poonch in Jammu region and smashing launch pads meant for terrorists. It was believed that nearly a dozen terrorists were killed in Kel, Lipa and Bhimber Gali and given a quiet burial. Personnel from three divisions of the army were involved in the surgical strikes and, before the operation, the army teams ensured that they cut off the possibility of any reinforcements from Pakistani army, sources said.