Army foils infiltration bid in Keran, kills 3

The Army on Friday claimed killing three militants soon after they sneaked in Gujjurtur area of Keran sector in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district earlier during the day even as the standoff between a larger group of infiltrators and the troops in neighbouring Gund Shalla Bhatta village continued for the eleventh day. The Army is readying to launch final assault against the holed up militants believed to be 30 to 40 and as many as 1,300 troops including about 300 para-shooters have been moved in from different parts of the Kashmir Valley for the purpose. The Army helicopters and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are monitoring the situation, reports said. IAF Chief Air Martial N.A.K. Browne said on Friday that Indian Air Force is ready to assist Army in its operations against heavily-fortified infiltrators but termed the issue as “small and localised”. “All the means are fully available with Army. If they still need some assistance, we are there to provide it. There is no problem” Mr Browne told reporters during the annual interaction with media on Air Force Day. Reports said the para-shooters have laid siege to the area and have also blocked possible supply routes to the militants. A joint team of Army’s counter insurgency units 3/3 GR, 15 RR, 16 GR and 5 ASSAM is conducting searches of the neighbourhood densely forested areas. Reports also said that one of the five Army jawans injured in a clash with infiltrators on September 30 succumbed at an Army-base hospital here. He has been identified as Rifleman Kiran Gurang of 15 Rashtriya Rifles who, according to local news agency GNS, had received two bullets on his neck and back side. The other injured soldiers have been identified as Havaldar TB Roka and Riflemen Youg Bahadur, Tejinder KC, Sandir Anva and Tula Ram, all belonging to 3/3 GR and are admitted in Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. However, a release issued by the Srinagar-based 15 (Chinar) Corps here on Friday denied the injured soldier has died.