SRINAGAR: A week after foiling attack by infiltrating militants on an army camp at Tanghdar near Line of Control (LoC) in Valley, troops on Thursday foiled an infiltration bid in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir by killing three heavily armed militants.
“At around 5 pm, alert troops detected an infiltration bid of militants along Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu province through surveillance devices,” defence spokesman based in Jammu, Lt Colonel Manish Mehta told Express.
He said after detecting the infiltration bid, army men cordoned off the area and launched an operation.
“During the combing operation, militants fired heavily on the troops. The fire was returned by the soldiers, triggering an encounter. In the ensuing firefight, three militants were killed,” Mehta said.
He said troops did not suffer any loss of life or injuries in the encounter.
The defence spokesman said combing operation in the area is going on. “The troops are sanitizing the area”.
He said the failed infiltration bid and casualties to the militants is a big blow to the nefarious designs of militants and their handlers across the LoC, who have been waiting and planning for infiltration for a long time.
Today’s infiltration bid took place a week after a group of recently infiltrated militants attacked an army camp at Tanghdar near LoC on November 25. Three militants and a civilian employee of army were killed in the gunfight.
Since November 25, army has been conducting combing operation in the Tanghdar area to trace the accomplices, if any, of the slain militants.
An army official said since winter has set in, they are expecting rise in infiltration attempts by militants. “The militants may attempt to infiltrate before snowfall closes the mountain passes”.
He said the army men and officials deployed along the LoC in Kashmir and Jammu have been asked to be extra vigilant to thwart infiltration attempts by militants.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar-based Army’s 15 Corps, Lt General Satish Dua had recently said there will be desperate attempts by militants to infiltrate into Kashmir before the mountain passes are blocked by snow.