Rajouri: Indian army Sunday stated to have foiled an infiltration attempt on the Line of Control (LoC) by killing two terrorists and recovering war like stores and ammunition from them in Balakote area of Mendhar sub division of Poonch.
Army also said to have recovered Night Vision Devices (NVDs) and steel piercing bullets in four Pithoos (backpacks) of terrorists, who were injured in the firing by Indian troops during another foiled infiltration attempt in Poonch sector on December 29.
Addressing a press conference at Manjakote sector headquarter of Romeo Force of Rashtriya Rifles, Brig P Acharya, 13 sector commander, said that on January 7 evening at approximately 7.00 pm, alert troops of army observed suspicious movement of two infiltrators who were trying to sneak across Line of Control in Balakot sector in district Poonch.
“The troops on Line of Control and the fence were alerted and they kept observing the area. At approximately 7.45 pm, there was a loud explosion due to mine having got initiated by infiltrating terrorists,” he said.
Brigadier Acharya added, “Thereafter at approximately 7.50 pm, our troops saw the movement near the fence and engaged the terrorists by bringing aimed fire onto them. Once the firing ceased, our troops on the fence and troops on the Line of Control readjusted the cordon to prevent their escape.”
Sharing more details, Sector Commander Brigadier P Acharya said that Night enabled Quadcopter and other surveillance devices were employed to keep a strict vigil on the cordoned area.
“Troops commenced search operation at 2.00 am on January 8, 2023. The search was very deliberate as the area is not only undulating with dense undergrowth but is also heavily mined. In the search, so far two bodies have been recovered with weapons, magazines, ammunition and other war-like stores,” he further informed.
Regarding recovery from terrorists, Brigadier Acharya said that the army recovered one AK 47 rifle, one modified AK 56 Rifle, one Chinese pistol, two Chinese hand grenades, two high explosive IEDs and a mobile phone so far.
“Search operation continues in the area while Indian army continues to remain alert on the Line of Control to counter any attempt by inimical forces to disturb the peace and harmony in the region,” he said.
Joining him in the presser, the Commander Krishna Ghati Brigade of Ace of Spades Division, Brigadier R Krishnan said that the security forces on the Line of Control were maintaining high alert based on intelligence inputs of likely infiltration attempts.
“On December 29, at approximately 7.30 pm, alert sentries on the fence in Poonch sector observed suspicious movement of three to four individuals, moving from across the Line of Control towards the fence. The weather and visibility was bad, due to heavy rains and when the individuals reached closer to the fence they were observed to be crawling,” he said.
“As the alert sentries challenged the movement, the fire-fight broke out between the terrorists and Indian troops in which one or two terrorists were hit with our bullets. The injured terrorists were pulled back by the other terrorists into the jungle taking advantage of bad weather conditions,” the senior army officer said.
He stated that the area was immediately cordoned with additional troops and as the weather continued to remain bad.
“The area is thickly wooded and mined; the search operations were launched on December 30 morning. During the search operation, three Pithoos (backpacks) were recovered from the incident site where a lot of blood marks were also seen. Later during searches, the fourth Pithoo and torn clothes were found inside the forest closer to Line of Control. Large quantities of war-like stores, clothing and other materials were recovered from the Pithoos,” Brigadier Krishnan said.
He stated that major weapons recovered during the search operation included two pistols with ammunition, two Night Vision Goggles (US make), one binocular, one Camcorder with pictures of the terrorists and their training, steel core AK ammunition, combat dress and warm clothing.
“By the quick action of alert troops, a major infiltration attempt was thus foiled, and the nefarious designs of terrorists to disrupt the peace in Poonch and Rajouri sector were thwarted successfully. The Indian army continues to remain alert on the Line of Control and well prepared to thwart any such attempts in the future too,” Brigadier Krishnan said.