M A I N   N E W S

12 Pak soldiers killed, 20 hurt
Bid to capture Indian forward post
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Oct 28 — At least 12 Pakistani soldiers were said to have been killed and 20 wounded when Indian troops retaliated to prevent the Pakistani Armymen from capturing an Indian forward post in the Nowshehra sector of the Rajouri border belt today.

Official reports said one column of Pakistani soldiers launched a major attack on an Indian post this morning. They used artillery guns and other arms to raid the post.

When one Indian jawan was critically wounded in the Pakistan shelling, the Indian soldiers retaliated with long-range guns and pounded several Pakistan bunkers across the Nowshera sector.

The Indian border guards watched the Pakistani soldiers who had come close to the Indian post with the intention of capturing it being hit by the Indian shells. More than 12 Pakistan Armymen, including a couple of officers, were killed and 20 others wounded. The Indian soldiers watched Pakistani troops carrying the bodies of their dead and wounded brethren in the Indian retaliatory fire.

Official sources said that during the past three months, the Pakistani troops had made a series of abortive bids to capture Indian forward posts in the Poonch and Rajouri sectors. He said on October 5, as many as 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the Indian retaliatory fire in the Laan sector of Poonch district.

The sources referred to the series of incidents of border violence by the Pakistani troops not only in the Poonch and Rajouri sectors but also in Uri, Kupwara, Keran, Akhnoor and R.S.Pora areas during the past several months. During these months Pakistani troops used MMG and mortar guns for pounding civilian areas in which more than 20 civilians had been killed.

According to these sources, the basic aim behind resorting to the unprovoked firing and shelling was to capture a post or two and provide fire cover to the groups of militants who were to be pushed into Jammu and Kashmir.

Official sources said that the Indian troops had been kept on alert and ordered to take any suitable step to foil the Pakistan gameplan of storming Indian posts and pushing rebels into the state.

SRINAGAR (PTI): Eleven militants and a security jawan were killed and three Armymen injured as militants stormed a joint camp of the police and paramilitary forces and triggered two explosions in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

A foreign mercenary and a security jawan were killed in an encounter inside a camp jointly manned by personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Surankote in Poonch district, an official spokesman said here today.

He said three militants armed with sophisticated weapons attacked the joint camp last evening, sparking a gunfight in which one of the militants was killed this morning.

Security forces immediately sealed the area to nab the other militants involved in the attack, he said.

A spokesman of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that two of the militants of the outfit’s Fidayeen squad (suicidal squad) stormed the camp around 10.50 pm yesterday.

One of the two activists, Abu Usman Shahid, returned safely to his hideout after the attack, he claimed.

A police spokesman said two top Hizbul Mujahideen militants, identified as Mohammad Ramzan Dar alias “Shabnam’’ and Habibullah Bhat, were killed in an encounter with security forces at Rabitar in the Ganderbal area on the outskirts of Srinagar early today. Two AK assault rifles and some ammunition were seized from the deceased militants.

In another encounter, the spokesman said security forces killed Pakistani militant Riyaz Hassan Khan in the Gurez sector of Baramula district.

Three militants each were killed by security forces during search operations at Budnambal in Kupwara district and Budhal in Poonch district yesterday, he said.

Security forces also killed a militant at Tarbal post in Uri sector last night. A rifle and some ammunition were seized from the slain militant.

Three BSF personnel were injured when militants attacked their picket with a grenade at Kaka Mohalla in downtown Srinagar today.

The injured personnel were shifted to hospital where the condition of one of them was stated to be “serious’’.

Militants also triggered a landmine explosion at Kulgam-Ashmuji road in Anantnag district of South Kashmir. However, no one was hurt in the explosion, the spokesman said.

Militants set ablaze two residential houses at Manigah in Kupwara district last night.

A militant laid down arms in Kupwara district today handing over a rifle, two magazines and a wireless set to the police, he said.

Two more militants surrendered before security forces at Morah Bachai in Poonch district yesterday.

Security forces nabbed militant Budrina-Magam in Badgam district today and seized two AK assault rifles, a pistol, a rocket launcher, two bombs, six grenades, 700 rounds of ammunition and an improvised explosive device (IED) from him.

The security forces also recovered a pistol, two grenade launchers, 17 grenades, three IEDs, 2 kgs of RDX and a pistol during search operations in Rajouri and Kathua districts.