Jawan martyred, officer among two injured in Pak firing on LoC

3 major infiltration bids foiled, 1 shot dead

JAMMU/SRINAGAR: An army jawan was killed and two others, including an officer, were injured on Tuesday after Pakistani troops fired with small arms and shelled mortars along the Line of Control in Rajouri district.
The Indian Army launched a befitting retaliation to the Pakistani firing and shelling in Sunderbani sector, officials said.
"Pakistan initiated the unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars. Some injuries have been reported (on our side), a defence spokesperson said based on preliminary information.
However, official sources said three army personnel, including an officer, were injured in the incident and later one of the soldiers succumbed to the injuries.
The officer, along with another soldier, is undergoing treatment at the military hospital, the sources said. The Pakistani army has also suffered casualties in the retaliatory action but details are awaited, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the security forces have foiled at least three major infiltration bids by heavily-armed terrorists along the International Border in Jammu region and Line of Control in Kashmir Valley, even as one of the intruders has reportedly been shot dead while a huge cache of arms has also been recovered.
Army on Tuesday claimed to have shot dead an intruder along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Official sources informed that at about 2:15 pm, an unidentified individual was moving suspiciously across the fence ahead of an army Post at Dhulanja.
“Several warning shots were fired, but the person refused to come with hands up. Later, he was shot dead at Dhulanja post in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla. The body of the slain is being retrieved,” an official said.
The Army also said it has foiled an infiltration bid along the LoC in Gurez sector of Bandipora district and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition.
"Acting on specific @JmuKmrPolice inputs, suspicious movement was detected by alert troops along LoC on 14 September. Contact was established & the suspected terrorists were fired upon by Security forces. Aggressive & timely action by SF foiled an infiltration bid," Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the army said in a tweet.
The army said a cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the scene of the operation.
"During the joint search operation, War like stores were recovered. These included one assault rifle, three pistols one GPS and four rucksacks," it added.
In Jammu region, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday foiled a major infiltration bid by five heavily-armed terrorists along the International Border in Samba district, a spokesperson said.
The terrorists fled back to the Pakistani side after being confronted by the border guarding force, the spokesman said.
He said a strong protest note is being lodged with the Pakistan Rangers for helping the infiltrating terrorists.
The spokesperson said alert troops observed movement of terrorists on the Pakistani side in Samba sector during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
"Their movement was tracked by BSF troops and at about 0030 hours, the group was seen close to the International Boundary where they reached taking advantage of the undulating ground and thick wild growth," the spokesperson said.
He said the five terrorists took refuge in a depression having dense wild growth.
"The BSF troops challenged them to stop but they opened fired on the party," the spokesperson said.
The BSF troops fired on the terrorists with coordinated effective fire and foiled a possible infiltration bid from the Pakistani side, he said.
He said the area was illuminated by the help of parabomb and BSF troops saw the terrorists fleeing.
"The area was searched but nothing was recovered as the terrorists could not cross the IB. A strong protest note is being lodged with Pakistan Rangers for their help in facilitating terrorists infiltrate towards the Indian side," the spokesperson added.