Army foils Pak’s BAT attack on LoC, intruder killed
Body of the heavily armed intruder was recovered from Khari Karmara area in J&K’s Poonch
JAMMU : An intruder eliminated along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district late on Sunday was part of the Border Action Team (BAT), a Pakistani unit notorious for gruesome attacks across the de facto border, the army has said.
BAT is an amalgam of Lashkar terrorists and Pakistan army regulars.
The body of the heavily armed man was recovered from Khari Karmara area in Poonch, defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said after the army foiled a terror group’s attempt to intrude into India under the cover of “unprovoked and indiscriminate” firing by Pakistani soldiers on Sunday.
“Around 5.15 pm on Sunday evening, the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars – engaging Indian troops deployed in forward posts along the LoC. Our troops responded with retaliatory fire in equal measure,” said Lt Colonel Anand.
The troops noticed some movement in the area and immediately engaged the terror group, the spokesperson claimed. “There was immediate retaliation from the armed intruders. The covering fire from Pakistani Army posts continued unabated. In the firefight that ensued, one armed intruder was killed and at least two others – who sustained grievous injuries – were seen returning to the Pakistani post,” he added.
Subsequent search and sanitisation operations resulted in the discovery of a man’s body, clad in combat fatigues. They also recovered three live rocket-propelled grenades, four disposable rocket launchers, two IKOM radio sets, one AK magazine, two molotov cocktails, four UBGL grenades, seven hand grenades, a PIKA belt, a mobile phone, three back packs, medical satchels and the Pakistan national flag from the spot, the officer said.
Confirming the development, an intelligence officer said the group was observed 100 metres inside the Indian territory near an army post. “The troops opened fire, to which the infiltrators retaliated. A rocket-propelled grenade was also fired at the post by the terrorists,” he added. Three Indian soldiers who sustained minor injuries in the exchange of fire were evacuated to the 425 field hospital in Poonch, the officer said, adding that one of them sustained a head injury. The modus operandi adopted by Pakistan army and its affiliate terrorists in this instance was similar to previous attempts at Keri, Gambir and Sunjuwan, he added.
Another army officer said regular Pakistan soldiers and special service group members abetted this operation by non-state actors. The rich haul of weapons recovered from the spot clearly indicate the implicit support of the Pakistan army to target Indian establishments while maintaining a degree of deniability, he added.