Army kills 5 terrorists at LoC, foils biggest infiltration bid since 2021

Averting a major threat ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra, security forces killed five heavily armed foreign terrorists belonging to an outfit commanded by an Afghan war veteran along the Line of Control in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

It was the biggest infiltration bid to have been foiled since 2021, when India and Pakistan effected a ceasefire understanding, officials said.

The operation in the Jumagund area in the Keran sector was launched Thursday night based on intelligence input gathered by the Jammu and Kashmir police.

Srinagar-based defence PRO Col Emron Musavi said the terror groups in Pakistan are using the "facade" of ceasefire to perpetrate terror in the Union territory.

Additional director general of police of Kashmir Vijay Kumar said the slain terrorists were affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force, which has Rafiq Nai and Shamsher Nai alias Zafar Iqbal -- both residents of Poonch but presently settled in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as handlers.

The JKGF has Murtaza Pathan alias Ghaznvi, a resident of Faislabad in Pakistan "who is an Afghan (war) veteran affiliated with Deoband School of thought, as operational commander supervising tactical aspect from POJK”, Kumar said.

Briefing the media in Srinagar, the general officer commanding of the army's 28 Division, Major General Girish Kalia, said that based on the input, multiple ambushes were set up along the expected routes of infiltration.

"Simultaneously, the entire area, the LoC fence or the anti-infiltration obstacle system, was kept under surveillance," he said.

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," Maj Gen Kalia said, adding there was no collateral damage.

He said the terrorists were heavily armed and appeared to be very well trained.

During a search of the site Friday morning, 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, he said.

Maj Gen Kalia said while there is a ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan, the security forces have been getting a large number of intelligence inputs of likely infiltration from across the LoC in the recent past.

The army officer said the operation is a reflection of the high level of synergy between the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir police who have been working tirelessly to ensure that "our beloved J-K remains peaceful and continues to progress on the path of development and prosperity".

He complimented the officers and jawans who took part in the operation, and assured everyone that the security forces shall remain steadfast in our resolve to defeat the evil designs of inimical elements".

The ADGP Kashmir also appreciated the role of the joint forces for neutralising the terrorists without any collateral damage.

"Appreciate the joint teams for displaying the highest degree of synergy and coordination which led to the elimination of five foreign terrorists and averted a big threat for forthcoming yatra," he said. The Amarnath pilgrimage is scheduled to commence on July 1.

Meanwhile, Col Musavi, in a statement, said the terror groups in Pakistan are using the "facade" of ceasefire to perpetrate terror in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The operation clearly establishes the evil design of terrorist groups which are determined to disrupt peace in Kashmir. It also exposes the facade of false commitment to the ceasefire understanding by Pakistan which has repeatedly been exploited to perpetrate terror in Jammu and Kashmir," the PRO said.