10 militants killed, soldier killed in two gunfights in Kashmir

Pakistan said it would  not succumb to the “threats” by India and would continue to support Kashmiris’ struggle.

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Two days after the deadly militant attack on its fortified base in Kashmir in which 18 soldiers were killed, the Army on Tuesday foiled two infiltration bids in which a soldier and 10 militants were shot dead along the Line of Control in the Uri and Nowgam sectors even as Pakistani troops breached the border ceasefire in Uri.

However, asked whether any militants had suffered any casualties in the gunfights that followed the infiltration bids, an Army official told Express, “We don’t have any information in this regard as the gunfight is going on”. But he said a soldier had been killed in the gun battle in Nowgam.

“The gunfight between the militants and Armymen is going on. A soldier was killed in the ongoing encounter,” he said. Asked how far the place was from the Uri base attacked by militants, the official said, “I can’t give you details because of operational sensitivity.”

A group of 10-12 militants were intercepted in the Uri sector in the afternoon, he said, adding the ceasefire violation was part of an attempt to facilitate the infiltration bid.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi arrived here to review the situation following Sunday’s militant attack. He chaired a high-level meeting attended by top Army, police, paramilitary, intelligence and civil officials. Mehrishi later held separate meetings with Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Meanwhile, the strain in Indo-Pak relations in the wake of the Uri attack is likely to divide the regional bloc of Saarc with Afghanistan and Bangladesh likely to boycott the summit in Pakistan in November in solidarity with India. The three countries have repeatedly pointed the finger at Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism against them. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the cross-border attack on the Army cantonment in Uri.

“President Ghani strongly condemned the cross-border terror attack and conveyed Afghanistan’s solidarity and support with India against all actions to eliminate the threat of terrorism,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

And Pakistan said it would  not succumb to the “threats” by India and would continue to support Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination. 

“Kashmiris’ legitimate and just struggle for self-determination cannot be suppressed by state repression,” Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan told  Pakistan-occupied Kashmir PM Raja Mohammad Farooq Haider Khan who called on him in Islamabad.

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