SRINAGAR: Army Thursday foiled second infiltration bid in three days along the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir by killing four heavily armed militants during a gunfight in Tangdhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir. An army man was also killed in the gunfight.
An army official said army men deployed along LoC in Tangdhar sector Kupwara district noticed a group of militants trying to infiltrate into this side of Kashmir.
“The militants were signaled to stop. However, they opened fire from automatic weapons towards the army men. The fire was returned by the soldiers,” he said.
The official said in the fierce gunfight, that continued till this afternoon, four heavily armed militants were killed.
“An army man sustained injuries in the encounter. He was evacuated to army hospital in Srinagar, where he later succumbed to injuries,” he said.
The deceased soldier was identified as 37-year-old L/Hav Prem Bahadur Rehmi Magar of Village Sauni, Mohore District Falpa, Nepal.
Bahadur, who had served 18 years in army, is survived by wife Ms Devi Resmi Magar and two children – 13 year old son and 9 year old daughter.
The army official said identity of the slain militants was being ascertained. “We have recovered four AK rifles and large cache of ammunition and other material from the possession of the slain militants”.
This is second infiltration bid foiled by army along the LoC in three days.
Earlier, on Tuesday, army had foiled an infiltration bid of militants along LoC in Machil sector of Kupwara district.
In the two-day operation, a militant and an army man identified as 24-year-old Signalman Ajay Singh Choudhary were killed while four soldiers were also injured.
The deceased soldier hailing from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan is survived by his parents, wife Meena Devi and a 10 months old son.
The homage was paid to the deceased Signalman Choudhary in a solemn wreath laying ceremony at army’s 15 Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar today.