Srinagar, Jul 27 (KNO): A soldier and an intruder were killed, while four other soldiers were injured in a Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) attack in the Macchil sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district on Saturday, official sources said.
According to sources who spoke to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the Pakistani BAT attacked an Army post in the Kamkari sector along the LoC on Saturday morning. Five soldiers, including a captain, were injured in the attack, with one soldier later succumbing to his injuries.
An intruder, identified as a Pakistani national, was killed in the retaliatory action by Indian forces, they said, adding that a fighting knife called a dagger, a Chinese Type-56-1 assault rifle and other materials were recovered from the attacker.
This incident occurred a day after Kargil Vijay Diwas, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stern warning to Pakistan, asserting that Indian forces would crush terrorism and respond decisively to enemy actions.
The Srinagar-based Defence spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying that a group of two to three armed personnel exploited bad weather and poor visibility to cross the LoC and fire on a forward Army post.
"Alert troops responded vigorously, and in the ensuing exchange of fire, one Pakistani intruder was killed, with weapons, ammunition, and war-like stores recovered. The identification and affiliation of this Pakistani national are being ascertained," the spokesperson said.
He said two Indian soldiers were gravely injured during the exchange and were evacuated to the Base Hospital in Srinagar. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers, Rifleman Mohit Rathour, succumbed to his injuries, while the other is stable and responding well to treatment, he added.
The Defence spokesperson said that similar attempts by infiltrators, often aided by the Pakistani Army, have exploited thick foliage and poor visibility conditions but have consistently been thwarted by alert Indian troops. “The Indian Army remains firm in its resolve to maintain the sanctity of the LoC and defeat the inimical designs of the Pakistan Army,” he said.
This incident follows a series of recent infiltration attempts along the LoC in Kupwara, including an anti-terrorism operation in Kowut (Trimukha Top) on July 24, where a terrorist and an Army soldier were killed.
On July 18, two infiltrators were killed in the Keran Sector, with a large cache of arms and ammunition recovered. Similarly, on July 15, three infiltrators were killed while attempting to cross the LoC in the same sector.
The Indian Army extended condolences over the death of Rifleman Mohit Rathour, with General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), and all ranks of the Indian Army saluting the “supreme sacrifice of the braveheart”. “Indian Army offers deepest condolences and stands firm with the bereaved family in this hour of grief,” it posted on the social media site 'X'—(KNO)