Arms and ammuntion seized at the site in Nowgam sector. (PTI)
Two militants were killed during an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir’s Nowgam on Saturday, the Army has said.
Meanwhile, a senior Army officer on Saturday said they have inputs of the presence of 250-300 militants presently occupying launch pads across the border.
In the early hours of Saturday, personnel “detected suspicious movement originating from the Pakistani posts” along the LoC in Nowgam sector — located at Handwara in Kupwara district — the statement said.
It added: “The movement… was monitored, and an ambush was laid to trap the infiltrators. Swift and bold action by the troops on ground led to the elimination of the two terrorists, who were trying to infiltrate by cutting the border fence.”
According to the Army, the militants were dressed in combat fatigues and “…had taken the route through Pakistan Army posts deployed opposite own defences, clearly indicating Pakistani complicity in fomenting and abetting terror in India.”
Aside from weapons and ammunition, “large quantities of food items, medicines of Pakistan manufacturing markings and cash worth approximately Rs 1.5 lakh, in Indian and Pakistani currency, has also been recovered from the terrorists”.
At a press conference on Saturday, Major General Virendra Vats, GOC of the Army’s 19 Infantry Division in Baramulla, said 250-300 militants are presently occupying launch pads across the border.
“Inputs indicate that their launch pads are fully occupied. If we have to guess, it could be anything between 250-300 terrorists presently occupying the launch pads opposite,” he said.
“Three or four months [of summer] is what they (Pakistan) have”, he said, adding: “They will try their best to push in more numbers of terrorists”.”
The officer said the identities and affiliation of the duo killed on Saturday were being ascertained.
He added, “The Indian Army remains fully committed in its resolve to maintain the sanctity of the line of control and any trans-LC movement will get similar or appropriate response.”