Five foreign terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district on Friday as the army foiled the biggest infiltration bid since 2021.
The operation in the Jumagund area of the Keran sector in Kupwara was launched on Thursday night based on intelligence input, the army said. Based on the input, multiple ambushes were set up along the expected routes of infiltration.
General-officer-Commanding of the army’s 28 Division, Major General Girish Kalia told reporters in Kupwara that following the inputs the LoC fence or the anti-infiltration obstacle system (AIOS), was kept under surveillance.
“Around midnight, the movement of terrorists was picked up by the alert troops who braved challenging terrain and weather conditions. The infiltrating terrorists were engaged with precise and accurate fire, and in the ensuing firefight, five unidentified terrorists were neutralised,” the army commander said.
He said a large amount of arms and ammunition, including five AK series rifles, 15 magazines and grenades, and equipment such as night vision devices and binoculars were recovered from the encounter site.
This year it was for the first time that five militants were killed in a single encounter in Kashmir. The killings of militants have witnessed a sharp decline this year compared to previous years.
Police and army maintain that local recruitment has declined due to which the number of active militants have come to double digit in the Valley.
Earlier on June 13, security forces shot dead two militants near LoC in Kupwara. The Kashmir Zone Police shared the news on Twitter. The police said the incident happened in the Dobanar Machhal area.