J&K: ENCOUNTER NEAR LOC STILL ON; 12 MILITANTS KILLED
Srinagar August 23:
The fierce encounter between security forces and militants, in which a Colonel of a Rastriya Rifles battalion was killed on Friday, is still on near the Line of Control (LoC) in Macchal sector of northern Kashmir.
Latest reports said the security forces have killed 12 militants in the encounter that started almost 30 hours back. The Army lost Colonel J J Joseph and two jawans in the encounter, while four other Army men were injured. Col Joseph was martyred leading the daredevil operation against the infiltrators in the dense forests of Macchal sector, amidst reports of escalation in militant related incidents in the state.
Joseph, in spite of the injury, directed his troops but was later evacuated to Base Hospital in Srinagar. His troops launched the operation following specific inputs about a large group of terrorists hiding in the forest. "The encounter is still going on and the pattern of fire indicates that these could be foreign militants," Army sources said.
The Rastriya Rifles laid a cordon of the jungle area and commenced operations yesterday. This is the first major encounter with terrorists in the hinterland, and comes as reports suggest a steep increase in infiltration attempts by militants and LoC violations by the Pakistani troops.
According to Army figures, July and August have witnessed a steep increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops with incidents jumping to 10 violations a month from one or two in April and May.
Srinagar August 23:
The fierce encounter between security forces and militants, in which a Colonel of a Rastriya Rifles battalion was killed on Friday, is still on near the Line of Control (LoC) in Macchal sector of northern Kashmir.
Latest reports said the security forces have killed 12 militants in the encounter that started almost 30 hours back. The Army lost Colonel J J Joseph and two jawans in the encounter, while four other Army men were injured. Col Joseph was martyred leading the daredevil operation against the infiltrators in the dense forests of Macchal sector, amidst reports of escalation in militant related incidents in the state.
Joseph, in spite of the injury, directed his troops but was later evacuated to Base Hospital in Srinagar. His troops launched the operation following specific inputs about a large group of terrorists hiding in the forest. "The encounter is still going on and the pattern of fire indicates that these could be foreign militants," Army sources said.
The Rastriya Rifles laid a cordon of the jungle area and commenced operations yesterday. This is the first major encounter with terrorists in the hinterland, and comes as reports suggest a steep increase in infiltration attempts by militants and LoC violations by the Pakistani troops.
According to Army figures, July and August have witnessed a steep increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops with incidents jumping to 10 violations a month from one or two in April and May.
