Two Militants Killed Near LoC in North Kashmir's Macchil Sector

Srinagar: Two suspected militants have been killed in an encounter in the Pinchad area of the Machil sector in the North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir police said on Wednesday. 

An official said that a joint team of police and the Indian Army received the information about the presence of militants in the border district close to the Line of Control (LoC) following which the security forces launched an operation.

The police said that the joint forces had intensified searches in the area, during which the suspected militants fired upon them near the encounter spot. The firing was retaliated, triggering an encounter.

According to a defence spokesperson based in Srinagar, the troops were put on high alert since May 1 after Senior Superintendent of Police Kupwara provided specific intelligence input about a likely infiltration bid from one of the militant launch pads from across the LoC. 

“A well-coordinated counter-infiltration grid was put in place in this rugged and extremely difficult area. A number of additional ambushes, including those of Indian Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) Kupwara, were placed along the likely infiltration routes,” the Defence spokesperson said in a statement. 

The statement added that the forces in ambushes braved continuous bad weather marked by incessant rainfall, poor visibility and a significant drop in temperature for two consecutive nights. 

“Early morning on May 3 at around 08:30 AM, terrorists were sited by the troops having infiltrated onto own side of the Line of Control. Intense firefight ensued resulting in elimination of two terrorists,” he added. 

 The officials said that the bodies of two slain militants, whose identification is yet to be ascertained, have been recovered along with two AK series rifles, magazines and other arms and ammunition. 

The security agencies are currently carrying out further searches in the area. 

As many as 11 militants have been killed since January this year in Jammu and Kashmir, most of them in the border areas. At least seven suspected infiltrators have been killed this year in these attempts along the LoC, including in the Poonch areas of Pir Panjal Valley. Wednesday’s incident is the fifth reported infiltration attempt in Jammu and Kashmir and the third such encounter in the Kupwara district recently. 

Meanwhile, the security agencies in the region have heightened security measures ahead of the G-20 meetings scheduled later in May. The security grid has increased the vigil in both the Jammu and Kashmir divisions and issued a red alert at various parts, including on the national highway, to thwart any acts of sabotage.