ARMY KILLS 5 PAKISTANI SOLDIERS

Srinagar, June 1: The Indian Army’s special forces in Kashmir have eliminated a Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) of five enemy soldiers, a government official said.

At least five Pakistani soldiers were reportedly killed and six others injured in retaliatory firing by the Indian Army in the Bhimber and Battal sectors of PoK, defence sources said here on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday morning, a General Engineering Reserve Force (GREF) labourer was killed and two others, including a BSF head constable, were injured in what officials said was unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops at the Indian forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Army said it retaliated to ceasefire violations and added that the BSF head constable was out of danger.

Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were also killed in a gunfight with security forces in Sopore area of northwestern Baramulla district. Officials identified the slain militants as

Aijaz Ahmed Mir and Basharat Ahmed Sheikh, residents of Sopore’s Brath Kalan and Bomai areas, respectively.

They said that the duo was involved in a number of militancy-related incidents, including throwing of a hand grenade at a police party near a bank in the town injuring four cops on Wednesday.

These incidents came on a day when Army Chief General Bipin Rawat held a marathon meeting with all seven key Army commanders and other senior officers here to review the security situation along the India-Pakistan borders and operational and logistical preparedness of the armed forces.

The Pakistani troops also opened fire and shelled posts along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district.