5 ultras, 1 soldier killed in Kupwara encounter

SRINAGAR: Three militants and a soldier were killed on Monday in an anti-infiltration operation along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Tanghdar sector of Kupwara district, taking the total number of ultras eliminated in the operation to five.

The operation was launched near Eagle post on Saturday after army patrols spotted a group of infiltrators near the post who were trying to sneak into the Valley. The operation concluded after three days.

Army spokesman, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said three militants were killed on Monday after a gunbattle, while two were eliminated on Sunday. Five infiltrators were killed and one soldier was also martyred in the operation, he said.

An officer said militants take tough routes to avoid being detected by the army, which is manning the forward posts close to the LoC fencing.

This year, at least four or five infiltration attempts have been foiled close to the eagle post, however, militants use the track to sneak into the Valley as after crossing the post they could either go to Kupwara or Handwara. Besides, latest surveillance equipment, there is a three tier security in place close to the Line of Control in Kupwara, but militants still manage to sneak sometimes taking advantage of the terrain.

Last week, the police and army had killed five militants at Shokbaba in Bandipora, the militants believed to be foreigners had infiltrated recently either through Kupwara or Gurez sectors.