SRINAGAR: A Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army was killed in a gunfight with terrorists who had sneaked into Indian territory taking cover of firing from the Pakistani side in Rajouri, while three militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Pulwama.
Defence spokesman Lt Colonel Devender Anand said a JCO was killed in Nowshera sector. Sources said the JCO was killed 300 meters inside the LoC.
Earlier in the day, breaching ceasefire Pakistan fired on army positions and civilian areas in Balakote and Mendhar sectors in Poonch district injuring two civilians, including a woman. An Army official said, Pakistani troops conducted shelling in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.
In Pulwama, three militants have been killed in the Tral area, J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh said. The militants were allegedly responsible for the killing of two brothers, hailing from the Gujjar community, in Kashmir in August, he said.
The identities and affiliation of the slain militants are being ascertained, the police spokesman said. Sources said it is being suspected that the trio belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad and two of the deceased militants appear to be foreigners.
A police official said Army’s 42 Rashtriya Rifles, 178 CRPF and J&K police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel cordoned off a village in Rajpora, Kanjinag area after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there.
“The militants present were asked to surrender. However, they fired using automatic weapons. The troops returned fire,” he said. A police spokesman said the bodies of the militants were retrieved. The residential house, where the militants were holed up, was damaged in the gunfight.