M A I N   N E W S

Army foils infiltration bid in Kupwara; JCO killed
Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 18
A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was killed and a soldier injured in the early hours of Saturday as the Army foiled an infiltration bid by militants in the Machil Sector of Kupwara district of north Kashmir. The militants left behind two assault rifles and some war-like stores before crossing back into Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

An Army patrol of 56 RR noticed movement of four to six militants near the Dapal post close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Machil around 2.30 am, sources said. When the group — which was nearly 4km inside the LoC fence — was challenged, militants opened fire on the troops. JCO Subedar Arun Kumar was killed on the spot, while soldier Solanki Raju was injured in the exchange of fire that lasted for almost an hour.

The infiltration bid came at a time when the Army and Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police have been involved in one of the longest combing and search operations along the LoC in Kupwara district since May 7. The joint searches are being carried out to track a group of heavily armed militants believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan.

“This morning an infiltration bid was foiled in Machil sector and in the gunfight a JCO Subedar identified as Arun Kumar was killed while a soldier Solanki Raju was injured,” Defence spokesman Northern Command Col Rajesh Kalia said. “The search operation is continuing in the forests.”

The militants are believed to have returned back to Pakistan, sources said. They left behind two assault rifles and some war-like stores before crossing back into Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The search operation in the area is continuing.

The militants had crossed the nine-foot-high first tier of LoC fencing, known as the Anti-Insurgency Obstacle System, and infiltrated nearly 4km into Indian territory, but were intercepted by the Army before they could cross the second barbed tier fence.

Militants returned to PoK

• May 7: Army, police launch massive joint search operation along LoC in Handwara and Kupwara forests after spotting a group of heavily armed militants in Budnambal, Chowkibal forests
• May 18: An Army patrol notices movement of four to six militants near the Dapal post close to the LoC in Machil
• They had crossed the nine-foot high first tier of LoC fencing and infiltrated nearly 4km into Indian territory, but were intercepted before they could cross the second barbed tier fence
• The militants are believed to have crossed back into Pakistan occupied Kashmir.