J&K: 3 soldiers, 1 terrorist killed in militant strike in Tangdhar

Three army troopers and a militant were killed and a trooper wounded when security forces foiled an infiltration bid on the Line of Control in the Tangdhar sector of north Kashmir Kupwara district.

“A patrol of a forward battalion led by a JCO, moving close to the Line of Control in the area of Tangdhar intercepted an infiltrating group of terrorists,” a defence spokesman said in a statement.

“In the heavy exchange of fire that followed, the infiltrating group was beaten back leaving behind one dead terrorist from whom one AK-47, one Pistol and other administrative items were recovered,” the statement said.

“During the fire fight, four jawans sustained injuries of which three succumbed and one is out of danger. As per last reports, the operation is still in progress,” the statement added.

This is the first infiltration bid on the LoC in the mountainous and forested Tanghdar sector this year after the snows starting melting.

The valley Monday witnessed two more militancy related incidents. In the first incident an employee of the BSNL franchisee outlet was killed and two others wounded in north Kashmir apple rich Sopore town.

In the second incident, an army trooper and a top militant commander were killed in a gunfight in south Kashmir Kulgam district this afternoon.

“Militants fired upon an army vehicle near Kanjikula, Yaripora, this afternoon resulting in injuries to an army Jawan. The injured was shifted to the base hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” a police spokesman said in a statement.

“Soon after the attack, the army alongwith Kulgam police launched a cordon and search operation in the Kanjikula village.

“During the search operation, the joint search party came under fire in an orchard, which was retaliated triggering an encounter in which a militant was killed.”

The slain militant was later identified as Ayatullah Bhat alias Khoumaini, a district commander of Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

Image: Soldiers on guard after a third militant attack shook the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com