M A I N   N E W S

11 Pak troops shot along LoC
14 bunkers, 1 post, 2 watch towers smashed

Jammu, May 22
Eleven Pakistani soldiers were killed and two of their watch towers and 14 bunkers destroyed in the exchange of artillery fire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri and Poonch districts since late last night.

A defence spokesman said here today that Pakistani soldiers from the 10 Corps made “sudden and unprovoked” firing on the Indian positions at Digwar, Khari Karmara and Kerni areas of Poonch sector at 2 a.m. late last night.

The firing, targeting forward Indian bunkers and military installations with 82 MM mortar shells, continued for about half-an-hour.

In retaliatory fire the Indian soldiers used similar calibre guns to demolish Pakistani “gun positions” and watch towers. In the three-hour-long “mortar exchange” five Pakistani regulars were killed, one of their watch towers demolished and seven of their bunkers destroyed.

Smoke could also be seen erupting from several Pakistani bunkers after the firing by the Indian troops.

Elsewhere, Indian and Pakistani troops are trading heavy machine gun fire at Samba and Akhnoor sectors amid fresh reports of people fleeing the border villages. Pallanwala and Pargwal areas in Akhnoor sector have witnessed tremendous gun battle between the forces of both nations since last evening and the gunfire was continuing when reports last came in.

Similar gunfire is continuing in the bordering areas of Samba sector also, sources informed.

Meanwhile, along Arnia, Ramgarh, Ranbirsingh Pura, Hiranagar and Kathua sectors, forces continue to trade fire from medium calibre weaponries.

Fresh migration has taken place from Akhnoor, Ranbirsingh Pura and Samba sector with hundreds of people fleeing their ancestral lands to escape Pakistani bullets taking the total number of people migrating to 18,000, the sources added.

Opening another front in the Punjab sector, Pakistan troops opened unprovoked firing on the Indian defence positions near Kotli Jawahar village in the Narot Jaimal Singh sub-sector of the district today.

SRINAGAR: Nine persons, including six militants, mostly foreigners, were killed and five others injured while one person was abducted in the Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours.

A report from Baramula said an encounter took place between a patrol party and militants hiding in the woods at Aragam Bandipora early on Wednesday.

Two militants of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba were killed in the clash, an official spokesman said.

Two AK rifles, five magazines, 110 rounds, eight UBGL grenades and three hand grenades were recovered, he said.

A bomb blast occurred at Gulshan Park, Bandipora, this morning, causing damage to three houses. However, no one was injured in the blast.

A girl, Gul Naz, student of polytechnic college, was killed and four others, including two police personnel, were injured when the security forces opened fire on Amar Singh College road last night.

According to reports, the security forces opened fire on the police personnel after they were signalled to stop. Both police personnel and two pedestrians were injured while the girl died on the spot.

He said the security forces gunned down two foreign militants at Bapath-Gampora in the Central Kashmir district of Badgam last evening. Two AK rifles, two magazines, one wireless set and two grenades were recovered near the site of encounter.

The security forces killed two more militants at Dambla Uri near the Line of Control early on Wednesday. However, it was not clear whether they were infiltrating or going across.

Militants shot dead Aijaz Ahamd Shah at Achabal in South Kashmir while body of Abdul Rashid at Akhli Narkot was found on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and seven others injured in the overnight Pakistani shelling in Uri sector of north Kashmir, the police said on Wednesday.

Several residential houses were damaged in the shelling which started around 6 p.m. yesterday and continued till midnight, the police said.

A civilian, Arif Mohammad Bhat, was killed and seven others injured as artillery and mortar shells from across the border hit the civilian areas, triggering panic among residents, the police added.