KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Five suspected militants and a trooper were killed on Friday in a fierce encounter at Boniyar along Line of Control in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Official sources told Global News Service (GNS) that a group of five to six suspected heavily armed militants, who had reportedly sneaked into this side near Noori Post opposite to Pakistan’s Mohra Doori side during intervening night of July 02/03, was later intercepted by army’s 8 Sikh Regiment in the wee hours today in Sallar forest area along Line of Control (LoC) in Chotali village of Boniyar.
“The militants after being challenged fired indiscriminately towards the troops and tried to break the cordon. However, the army men retaliated and engaged the group ensuing a fierce gun-battle,” they said.
When the encounter turned fierce, additional reinforcement was rushed to the area. The commandos and the soldiers of other units have laid a siege around the village to prevent militants from fleeing, they said.
During the firefight five militants have been killed and two troopers Zarmal Singh and Harpreet Singh of 8 Sikh Regiment sustained bullet injuries, they said, adding that the injured troopers were immediately evacuated to military hospital for treatment. However, Harpreet Singh succumbed to injuries late in the evening.
An official said that while three militant bodies were lying some 200 meters inside the fencing of this side of Kashmir while two others are seen close to the Line of Control.
The official further said that amid heavy motor shelling the militants were trying to retrieve the two bodies lying in close proximity to the fencing.
A senior defence official said that in early hours of 03 July, army troops along deployed along the Line of Control in near Torna suspected some suspicious movement of an infiltration group along Hapathkai Nala.
“The area has a robust counter infiltration grid and the infiltration was detected within meters of the Line of Control. A fierce encounter ensued between the Army soldiers and the heavily armed militants resulting in the killing of one militant and injuring another one. The militants later took cover in the dense jungle and rocky terrain. As per last reports, operation is still in progress”, the official said.
