Two Terrorists Killed in J&K Gunfight; Pak Troops Violate Ceasefire Along IB

Srinagar:The Indian Army has gunned down two militants in a firefight raging in the Khandara top area of Jammu and Kashmir 's Udhampur district since Wednesday afternoon. The identities of the slain men are being ascertained, the officials in the garrison town of Udhampur said.

The Army had earlier during the day along with the J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation in the area after learning about the presence of a heavily armed group of militants there. The area where the operation is underway falls in the Basantgarh-Khandara belt along the border between Udhampur and Kathua districts, the police sources said.

The clash comes days after the Army together with the J&K police had killed two infiltrators soon after they sneaked into the Lam sector of J&K' Nowshera area. The Army had claimed that a large quantity of 'war-like' stores including two AK 47 rifles and a pistol were found on the slain infiltrators following the gunfight that took place on the intervening night of September 8 and 9.

Udhampur and Kathua fall in the Jammu region which has witnessed a spike in terror attacks and clashes between the militants and security forces in the recent months in which the security forces particularly the Army suffered heavy losses.

The Army recently inducted 3,000 additional troops including two battalions of the Assam Rifles and 500 para commandos before launching an “Operation All Out” against the militants in Jammu region's Chenab valley and neighbouring districts of Udhampur, Kathua and in the Poonch and Rajouri districts bordering with PoJK.

Meanwhile, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was injured when the Pakistani troops violated the November 2003 ceasefire understanding between the two countries "by resorting to unprovoked firing" in the Akhnoor area of the Jammu district, the officials said.

Confirming the incident, a spokesperson of the BSF said in Jammu that the Pakistani troops opened fire towards a forward BSF post in the Akhnoor area at around 2.35 am on Wednesday ."A befitting response was given by the BSF," he added.

The spokesperson identified the BSF trooper who was injured in the Pakistani firing as Durba Jyoti Das and said that he was immediately evacuated to a hospital after the incident and his condition is stated to be 'stable'.