After overnight intermittent firing, Pakistani troops targeted Indian forward posts and hamlets along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district with rocket propelled grenades, mortar bombs and medium machine guns on Friday morning.
Taken by surprise when heavily armed men ambushed their convoy but quickly gathering themselves, jawans of the 22 Garhwal regiment fired more than 5,100 rounds to protect their injured colleagues and forced the terrorists to retreat into Kathua's wooded hills, officials said.
In an incident of ceasefire violation along the Line of Control, Pakistani troops on Thursday opened fire on Indian posts and launched rocket projectile grenades in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Four militants were trapped in a cordon put in place by security forces in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday night, police officials said.
Three civilians picked up by the Army for questioning after the terrorist ambushed two Army vehicles on Thursday at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz in Poonch were found dead on December 23.
While the operation to track down the terrorists in the forest belt of Poonch-Rajouri was underway, the security forces received information about the suspected movement of terrorists in the vast forest area of Khabla along the Mughal Road in the early hours of Saturday, the officials said.
Pakistani troops fired two Rocket Projectile grenades (RPGs) on two Indian Forward Posts NPP1 and NPP2 along the LoC in Krishnagati sub-sector of Poonch district from 2145 hours on Monday night, an army official said on Tuesday.
In the second ceasefire violation this week, Pakistani troops pounded Indian posts with mortar bombs and rockets and fired indiscriminately along Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.
Ganderbal district recorded the highest of 56.40 per cent polling in the Valley, while Poonch district of Jammu region polled the highest of 71.62 per cent votes across J-K.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire twice on Wednesday by opening heavy fire on several Indian posts along the Line of Control and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving an Army jawan injured.
Pakistani troops on Thursday opened fire and launched Rocket Propelled Grenades targeting Indian posts in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the third ceasefire violation by forces of the neighbouring nation in four days. Pakistani troops opened fire and also launched RPGs on Indian posts in the Durga forward area along the Line of Control in Poonch district around 12.45 am, a senior army officer said. Indian troops retaliated, which led to an exchange of fire.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said two security men have been arrested in connection with the killing of a civilian in an alleged fake encounter in Poonch district.
The nation will always remain indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty, the official added.
Violating the ceasefire again, Pakistani troops resorted to firing on Indian forward posts along the Line of Control in Poonch district, leaving a jawan injured. "There was firing from heavy weapons and attacks on forward posts along the LoC in Krishnagati sector of Poonch district at approximately 10 pm on Wednesday night," a senior army officer said on Thursday. The cross-border firing continued for a brief period, he said.
Pakistani troops on Thursday violated the ceasefire yet again as they fired indiscriminately on Indian forward posts along the line of control in Poonch district.
The firing was still on, the official said, adding that the Indian Army was retaliating strongly and effectively to the provocation.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control by opening fire on Indian posts in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday night.
India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with the Pakistan army authorities for ceasefire violations resulting in cross-border firing at Indian posts along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir."We have lodged a strong protest with Pakistan authorities over Monday's firing of rockets on an Indian position in Brachar forward area of Swajian sub-sector in Poonch district," a top defence official told PTI.India provided Pak commanders with evidence.
Army on Sunday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing a militant and injuring another, a day after 12 intruders were gunned down in Gurez sector.
Besides the national capital, polling will be held Saturday in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, all 10 seats of Haryana, eight seats each in Bihar and West Bengal, six seats in Odisha, four seats in Jharkhand and one seat in Jammu and Kashmir. Simultaneously, polling will be held for 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha.
A 67-year-old resident, Mangat Ram and a BSF jawan was injured in the firing.
"Pakistani soldiers opened unprovoked firing on Indian posts in Doda Battalion forward area of Poonch district at around 0930 hours today (on Tuesday)," Defence spokesman S N Acharya said.
Officials said the entire forest area from Mendhar to Thanamandi remains under a strict cordon and a massive search operation is on to neutralise the terrorists moving from one place to another in an attempt to escape the dragnet.
Violating the ceasefire, Pakistani troops fired rockets and used heavy machine guns on Indian posts along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani troops fired 15 under-barrel grenade launcher rockets on five Indian forward defence locations from its eight border posts along the LoC in Krishna Gati sub-sector of Poonch district at around 1815 hours on Saturday night, Brigadier General Staff, 16 Corps, Brig Gurdeep Singh told PTI on Sunday.
"This fight is against the hatred that the BJP and RSS are spreading throughout the country. They have tried to create conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, and Hindus and Christians just to hold onto power. But they are failing and their strategy is not working," he said.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
A Central Reserve Police Force jawan-turned-militant and another ultra were arrested and a cache of arms recovered from them in Kishtwar and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said on Thursday. Acting on a tip off, security forces raided a hideout of the CRPF-jawan-turned-militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, Khalik Hussain, in Patidhar village of Poonch district. Khalik had served in the 84th battalion of the CRPF before he was dismissed and jailed.
Reliance on technical intelligence has not been fruitful as terrorists use online activity to mislead authorities. Officials feel that there is an urgent need for heightened surveillance to counter foreign terrorists, especially in the Jammu region.
The first phase of polling, held on September 18, saw an estimated 61.38 per cent voter turnout, while the final phase is set to take place on October 1 in the crucial elections being held after 10 years.
The Foreign Office on Monday summoned the Indian Charge d'Affaires (Cd'A) in Islamabad to lodge a protest over the alleged killing of a Pakistani citizen, who had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir to attack an army post.
Pakistan troops violated ceasefire four times since Tuesday night as it resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling on forward posts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian forces to retaliate.
At least six army troopers were injured on Thursday morning, one of them seriously, when a grenade went off accidentally inside a camp in Poonch district of Jammu region.
The Army, along with special forces and commandos of the state police force, is planning to conduct surgical operations to destroy the hideouts and neutralise the terrorists, who have taken positions in natural cave-type fortified bunkers in the area in the last 90 hours
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and opened fire at Indian posts on Monday along the Line of Control in Poonch district, the fourth violation in July.
Pakistani troops fired mortar shells and rocket projectile grenades and opened small arms firing on Indian posts along LoC in Sabzian area of Poonch district at around 11.45 pm on Monday night, a senior army official told PTI.
Nine security force personnel were injured in the firing by the terrorists, they said adding five of them succumbed to injuries.
Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, who infilterated into India from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, were arrested by security forces in Poonch district, and two AK rifles, two magazines, 65 rounds were also recovered from them, official sources said on Fri.
Speaking to media-persons after paying his last tributes to five soldiers, including two Army captains, who lost their lives in the Rajouri firefight, Lt Gen Dwivedi said, "While we lost five of our brave soldiers in the encounter, we also eliminated two dreaded terrorists. Our boys went after the well-trained and equipped foreign terrorists without giving any thought to their personal safety. This (taking out the dreaded terrorists) has dealt a major blow to the terror ecosystem and Pakistan. As per our estimation, 20-25 terrorists could still be operating in the area. We should be able to control the situation in a year's time with the help of locals."
Pakistani Army resorted to shelling of mortars besides automatic and small arms firing in forward areas along LoC in Hamirpur and Bhimbher Gali (BG) sub-sectors of Poonch district from 0630 hours, a defence spokesman said.