ARMY KILLS TWO BAT INTRUDERS ALONG LOC IN URI

SRINAGAR: The Indian army said its troops foiled an attack from across the border on a patrol party along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Kashmir on Friday, killing two personnel of Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT).

Officials said that an army patrol spotted suspicious movement along the LoC and took up positions. “BAT action against Indian army patrol along the LoC in Uri sector foiled. Two BAT terrorists killed. Operation continues,” said army’s Srinagar-based spokesman Rajesh Kalia.

The army recovered weapons from the killed BAT members.

The Pakistan army’s elite special services group forms the core of BAT, notorious for gruesome attacks across the de facto border between the two countries. Its primary task is to dominate the LoC by carrying out disruptive actions in the form of surreptitious raids.

Defence officials have said the unit is a mix of regular Pakistani soldiers and militants. But Islamabad has refuted the claim.

The army has held the BAT responsible for the beheading of two Indian soldiers on frontier posts in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on May 1. The incident triggered outrage, with defence minister Arun Jaitley vowing “appropriate reaction”.

ARMY HAS HELD THE BAT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KILLING AND BEHEADING OF 2 INDIAN SOLDIERS IN POONCH SECTOR OF KASHMIR ON MAY 1