Skirmishes in Indian Kashmir leave police officer, seven militants dead

Army on Sunday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Nowgam sector of Kashmir’s Kupwara district, killing four militants in an ongoing operation.

A defence spokesman here added that the Army troops noticed some suspicious movement near the 12-feet-high fence along the LoC in Nowgam sector and challenged the intruders. “The operations are over”, he said.

The army, according to official, has increased vigil and patrolling along the LoC to prevent militants from sneaking into Kashmir following apprehensions that militants may increase the infiltration attempts.

IN PULWAMA Seven Pakistani terrorists and a policeman were killed while four others were injured in four encounters across Jammu and Kashmir as the Army foiled three infiltration bids on Sunday. Reports said that the exchange of fire began around 7:40 am near the Indian army’s 93 brigade headquarters.

Another three rebels were killed after they tried to storm a government office in Poonch district.

Earlier on Saturday, one young man was killed in southern Shopian district when his head was hit with a tear gas canister fired by police, a medical officer at the local hospital said.

Villagers say a large number of residential houses were ransacked during the raids.

Sources said that additional reinforcement has been rushed to the spot as the area (where the encounter is on) has dense bushes all around it. Infiltrators attempting to cross the border were pushed back in the second clash in which no one was killed, authorities said. A day later, militants ambushed an Army convoy at Baramulla in north Kashmir killing two soldiers and a policeman.

“The group of terrorists sneaked into Poonch from the Line of Control outside the town and attacked Constable Rajinder Kumar who spotted them as they entered the bungalow”, a top cop told Mirror.