J&K: Another infiltration bid foiled along LoC in Kupwara; 1 militant shot dead

Srinagar: At least one infiltrating militant is reported to have been killed in a clash with the Army troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday.

This comes hours after the security forces gunned down three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in a six-hour long gun battle in Kashmir Valley’s Pulwama district.

A defence spokesman here said that details of the latest infiltration bid are being ascertained. “One terrorist is reported to have died but we are collecting details about the incident,” the spokesman said.

The Army sources had earlier said that the militant was shot dead by Indian troops soon after a group of infiltrators sneaked into Kupwara’s Keran sector after breaching the LoC.

“Our own troops foiled yet another infiltration bid by killing the terrorist. He was part of a heavily armed group of infiltrators. The encounter is on,” the sources had said.

Earlier the Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged small, automatics and mortar fire in Poonch district of the border. The Army sources in Jammu said that the Pakistani troops once again violated the November 2003 ceasefire agreement by resorting to "unprovoked firing and shelling” Poonch’s Chakan Da Bagh sector.

“The Indian troops were “strongly and effectively retaliating”, the sources said. There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side.