5 militants, soldier killed as Army thwarts infiltration bid

Srinagar: The Army on Monday said that it foiled a major infiltration bid after killing five militants in a fire fight raging in Tangdhar area, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, since Sunday morning. One Army jawan died in the clash, it added.

Defence spokesperson Col. Rajesh Kalia said that the slain men were part of a large group of militants who had earlier sneaked into Jammu and Kashmir after breaching the LoC. “With the killing of these terrorists, our troops defending the LoC have foiled yet another infiltration bid from across the border,” he said.

Officials said that a top commander of Jaish-e-Muhammad was also killed in a separate gun battle in Tral area of Kashmir’s southern Pulwama district.

One Army jawan was injured in the incident, which triggered protests and clashes along the streets of Tral on Sunday, leaving three civilians injured.

Tral township and its neighbourhood observed a spontaneous shutdown on Monday to mourn the killing of the militant commander Adnan.