SRINAGAR: After foiling a 2016-like Uri attack planned by militants yesterday, Indian Army continued the combing operation close to Line of Control (LoC) in Uri at north Kashmir’s Baramulla district for the second consecutive day on Monday and recovered the body of another militant, taking the militants' death toll to four.
“The search operation is still underway in Uri. We plan to clear the whole sector very deliberately,” Officiating commander of army’s Uri Brigade, Col. Harpreet Singh told reporters in Uri today.
“During the searches, a body of another militant was recovered today, taking the death toll of militants killed in the encounter to four,” Singh said.
He said the militant was wearing a suicide belt.
Sources said that additional Army men have been rushed to the Uri area to help in search operations. Army helicopters were also assisting the ground troops.
Army, police and CRPF men during a joint operation yesterday had killed three heavily armed militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba in a day-long gunfight at Kalgi village in Uri, close to the LoC.
Colonel Singh said on September 23 evening, they had received information that militants roaming in the area and planning 2016-type fidayeen attack on army installations.
“On the early morning of September 24, we established contact with the militants. Militants took shelter in an inhabited house, where civilians were present. We rescued civilians and afterwards launched an assault on militants,” Singh said.
He said the militants kept troops engaging by moving from one house to another.
“All the four militants were killed in the day-long encounter. Bodies of three militants were recovered yesterday while another was recovered today,” the army officer said.
According to him, the militants were well equipped with arms and explosives and intended to carry out a major attack on army camp in Kalgi, Uri.
“The alertness and resilience of army men, who engaged and neutralised the militants, resulting in foiling another devastating strike in the Uri sector,” Colonel Singh said.
He said the warlike stores and IEDs recovered from the militants indicates that they were planning 2016- like attack.
In September last year, four fidayeen of Jaish-e-Mohammad had attacked an army base in Uri killing 19 soldiers and injuring two dozen others. All the four attackers were also killed.
Third militant involved in attack on SSB men arrested
Police have arrested the third militant involved in last week’s attack on paramilitary SSB men in Banihal on Srinagar-Jammu national highway in which a head constable was killed and Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) injured.
“With his arrest, all three militants involved in Wednesday evening’s attack on SSB men have been arrested,” a police official said.
He said a pistol used by militants to attack the SSB men was recovered from the militant Aqib Wahid, who was arrested today.
Two of his associates Gazanfar and Arif were arrested 24 hours after the attack and the weapons and ammunition snatched from SSB men was recovered from them.