A Border Security Force jawan was killed when the security forces foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, leading to a gun battle between the two sides, official sources said.
"The operation has been called off. The possibility of terrorists having escaped cannot be ruled out," said Defence Spokesman S N Acharya, capping the futile search for the terrorists whom the security forces had engaged in a battle. The encounter, which has been going on since January 1, has claimed the lives of four terrorists and three security personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer.
The terrorists holed up in the 'natural caves' have resorted to intermittent firing ever since the army operation began on December 31, which has resulted in the death of two army troopers and a special police officer. The army says that it has so far eliminated four terrorists, but their bodies have not been recovered yet.
The gun battle between security forces and militants near the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir entered the fourth day on Sunday and has already left three security force personnel and four ultras dead. "Gun battle resumed this morning after a night-long break. Army and police have put a three-tier cordon and are zeroing in on the cave-type hideouts in Bhatidhar forests," defence sources told PTI.
So far, there are no reports of casualties or injuries and a gunbattle is underway.
Acting on a specific information, troops of 38 Rastriya Rifles busted a hideout in Bhimber Gali area of Poonch district and recovered 23 grenades made in Pakistan, two AK rifles, two Chinese grenades, huge quantity of assorted ammunition, one sniper sight and a radio, they told PTI.
The ceasefire agreement was yet again "violated" by Pakistan as bullets were fired from across the border on Indian posts at the Line of Control in Sabzian sector of bordering Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said in Jammu on Saturday.
The exchange of fire between the two sides in Noushera sector continued for nearly four hours.
Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh was summoned to the foreign office and was told that 'intentional targeting of innocent civilians is highly condemnable'
The army has foiled an infiltration bid by armed militants, who tried to intrude under the cover of firing from the Pakistan side along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, making it the fourth such incident this week, police said.Armed militants from across the border tried to intrude into Jammu and Kashmir, under the cover of firing from Pak Rangers on Friday night, making it another incident of cease-fire violation.
Four militants were killed on Monday in a fierce gunbattle that erupted on Sunday on the Line of Control in Poonch, with security personnel foiling an attempt by ultras to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.
"We have lodged a strong written protest with the Pakistan authorities over small arms firing by them on an Indian position in Tarkundi forward sector on Saturday," a senior defence officer told PTI after a meeting of the company commanders of the two sides at Tatapani along the LoC in Poonch district.
Two militants and an army jawan were killed in fierce gunbattles in Jammu and Kashmir where the army pushed back militants who had infiltrated into the country under the cover of firing from the Pakistani side along the Line of Control. "A group of armed militants entered the Indian territory from Kabaristan post of Pakistan and were trapped by troops close to Kalash Indian Post between Zero line and border fencing along LoC in Poonch district on Sunday," officials said.
'Romeo Force', the Army's counter insurgency group, has organised workshops in the remote areas of Poonch district for students of class 10 and 12, to train them on how to identify various explosive devices and undertake safety measures to save lives. A variety of Improvised Explosive Devices, landmines and grenades, made by militants to trigger blasts, were on display at the workshops, in which over 200 students from various schools of Poonch district participated.
Pakistani troops continued breaching the ceasefire along the LoC for the fourth successive day on Saturday by resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling, while two persons have been injured and several houses damaged in Jammu region overnight due to the violation.
Naik Bakhtawar Singh was injured in the exchange of fire. He succumbed to his wounds while being evacuated to the military hospital, he said.
The army early on Thursday foiled an infiltration bid by terrorists on the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu region.
Pakistani troops on Saturday evening violated the ceasefire on the Line of Control at two places in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district of Jammu region.
As the gunbattle in Bhati Dhar forest in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district entered the sixth day today, the army said it has adopted a "wait and watch" strategy to take on the holed-up terrorists in cave hideouts in the area.
The 27-second video was released a day after it claimed to have killed five Indian soldiers while retaliating to India's "unprovoked ceasefire violation" in Tatta Pani sector along the LoC.
The Indian Army posts strongly retaliated to the firing from the other side.
In the eighth infiltration bid from across the border this month, a group of five militants tried to intrude into the country on Sunday, an attempt foiled by the army. Five militants entered the Indian territory from across the Line of Control in Chajjar forward post of Mankote belt in Poonch district on Sunday afternoon and they fled back as army challenged them, official sources said.
Both the sides mutually agreed to the importance of exercising restraint on the LoC and keeping the communication alive through established reconciliation mechanism.
Less than a week after five soldiers were killed in an ambush at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmi, Pakistan on Monday violated the bilateral ceasefire in the Poonch sector along the Line of Control, according to a defence spokesperson.
Police found that Zakir was a fake militant who along with his accomplished adopted names of some militants currently in PoK.
'We owe our existence to the men in uniform, and we owe it to them to cleanse the armed forces by driving away every bit of corruption that eats into it,' argues Sudhir Bisht.
In an escalation of cross-border military confrontation, 8 civilians were on Tuesday killed and 22 injured in Jammu region due to Pakistani shelling, prompting a strong retaliation by the Indian army in which two Pakistani soldiers were killed and 14 posts were destroyed.
He said such an act cannot be carried out without the "protection, participation or the actual indulgence" of the army.
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the past 24 hours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the second phase of assembly elections in Udhampur and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir on November 28.
The defence spokesperson said the Pakistan Army also shelled posts with heavy mortars and opened fire with small arms and automatic weapons in the Poonch sector.
As a part of confidence building measures between the two countries, 191 people of divided Indian and Pakistani families were allowed to cross over the Line of Control at Chakan-da-Bagh point in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including three AK-47 rifles, 11 hand grenades and a large quantity of ammunition, were recovered from the encounter site.
There is no casualty on Indian side.
Troops noticed suspicious movement along the LoC and challenged the intruders, leading to a gunfight.
Head Constable Gaviri Ram of 138 battalion was found lying in a pool of blood inside his barrack in the BSF camp Khanetar top area of Poonch district, officials said.
The bus carrying personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police came under fire from the terrorists in the evening. The vehicle was going from Bemina to Zewan, a police official said.
When the forces confronted him and asked him to surrender, Latif tried to run away towards Pakistan but was arrested, they added.
Indian officials claimed that the white helicopter crossed into the Indian airspace in Gulpur sector and hovered over there for sometime before turning back.
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