M A I N   N E W S

RDX found on yatra route 
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 10
The Border Security Force today foiled an attempt by militants to trigger explosions and disrupt the Amarnath yatra with the recovery of 14 kg of RDX from the Srinagar-Baltal route, the main route to the cave shrine, a BSF spokesman said.

He said troops recovered the explosives from an abandoned arms dump at Thune in Kangan, 40 km from here, on the Srinagar-Baltal route. Baltal serves as a base camp for Amarnath pilgrims.

The dump was unearthed following specific information that militants had concealed the RDX there to trigger explosions on the yatra route, the spokesman said, adding it was white RDX which is more deadly than the black one.

The recovery of the RDX comes close on the heels of an appeal by the Hizbul Mujahideen to fellow organisations to declare the Amarnath yatra route as “safe’’.

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba has also asked the yatris to join the pilgrimage without any fear as the outfit has no intention to target them.

At least 10 militants and five Army jawans were killed in four separate encounters in various parts of Jammu region during the past 24 hours.

According to official reports, eight militants were killed in Balakot and Mendhar areas of Poonch in a joint operation launched by the police and the Army today. Troops guarding the LoC in Mendhar foiled a major infiltration bid, killing three rebels and forcing others to flee.

The reports said a ‘district commander’ of the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami, Rizvan of Pakistan, was killed in the operation. The information about the militants’ hideout and infiltration bid was given to the security forces by the Superintendent of Police, Poonch, Mr Kamal Saini.