SRINAGAR: Border Uri belt woke up to huge exchange of fire during midnight at around 2am, reports from the border town said. The fire exchange continued till 7:30 am. Police said one militant has been killed.

While the army and the police in the town say an operation is underway, they have not been able to offer any detail of the encounter that took place in Kalgi area of the border belt.

Media reports in Srinagar suggest that it is an encounter between infiltrators – believed to be three or four, and the army. It is taking place in the forests of the village. One report even said one of the militants is already slain. Thereport was confirmed by a top police officer. Armed forces, reports said had detected the infiltration at around 10:30 pm. It started with the detection of suspicious movements following which a cordon and search operation was immediately launched.

Residents said there has not been a single shot being fired since 7:30 am in the morning. But the halt in the firing has not permitted the residents to come out of their homes.

Though infiltration through Uri is rare, compared to other sectors, the area witnessed a massive operation in September 2016 when suspected militants barged into a border post and created a spectacle.

UPDATE

Firing resumed at around 11 am, residents said. They actually battle is somewhere around the local garrison that houses an artillery unit located in Chadi Maidan. A few minutes back, the army started using major weapons. Access to the belt is restricted as the main gate of the garrison has been sealed.

Police have also raised road barricades at Slamabad thus preventing movement of people towards Kamalkote and Sultan Daki areas which are Kalgi’s neighbouring hamlets.

Around noon, an unconfirmed report said, one soldier was injured in the ongoing encounter.

(Pictures used in this news report are merely representational)

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