Srinagar, Apr 23 (KNO): Security forces on Wednesday foiled a major infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of north Kashmir, killing two heavily armed terrorists in a gunfight that lasted over two hours, officials said.
Addressing a press conference, Commander of the 161 Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Mayank Shukla, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), revealed that the operation was carried out based on consistent intelligence inputs received over the past week regarding possible infiltration by Pakistani terrorists. He said the infiltrators were reportedly planning a major terror strike to disturb the fragile peace in Kashmir.
“Given the credible inputs, we enhanced both aerial and ground surveillance. Special focus was laid on sensitive points along the LoC in Uri sector,” Brigadier Shukla said.
He said the movement of the terrorists was first detected around 1 am on the intervening night of April 22 and 23 near the Uri nallah, close to the suspected enemy launchpads. Upon detecting suspicious movement, the surveillance grid, including drones, was activated, and ambush parties were swiftly redeployed to intercept the infiltrators, he said.
Brigadier Shukla said the contact with the terrorists was established at around 3 am. "A fierce gun battle ensued, lasting for over two hours, which ultimately resulted in the elimination of both infiltrators," he informed. "Subsequent search and sanitisation operations were carried out in the dense forest area to ensure no other threats remained."
Security forces recovered a significant cache of arms and ammunition from the slain militants, including two AK-series rifles, a 9mm Chinese pistol, several magazines, and an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing approximately 10 kilograms. Police are in the process of identifying the terrorists.
“This successful operation is a clear message to inimical forces. It reflects the high level of synergy between various security agencies. We are fully committed to maintaining peace and thwarting any attempt to disturb normalcy in the region,” the Brigadier added.
The infiltration attempt came just hours after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, and left several others injured—(KNO)