4 infiltrating militants killed, 1 captured in Jammu and Kashmir

The Army said on Tuesday that it killed four infiltrating militants and captured their fifth accomplice alive during a fire fight along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowgam sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara sector.

However, it did not disclose the names of the slain militants or that of the one captured alive by it, saying that revealing their names and other details at this stage could hamper and weigh down the investigations it has taken up into the incident. “We have got one of them alive and expect some vital information from him. But it won’t be proper or any helpful to disclose his name at this stage,” said an Army officer here.

Giving the details of the encounter, the defence source said that the Army troops launched an operation against the militants’ group which had reportedly sneaked into Nowg-am sector earlier and in the ensuing encounter, four were killed and one was arrested from the group. The sources said that the slain men also appear to be foreign natio-nals, most probably Pakis-tanis, as is the militant captured alive. In Delhi, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said, “Consider it a big achievement that a terrorist was apprehended alive in J&K’s Kupwara district.” “Catching a terrorist alive is a big success as it brings the game plan of Pakistan in open,” he added.

The sources said that the moping operation in the area was still underway when reports last came in.

The last time a Pakistani militant was captured alive in J&K was last year on August 5 following a terror attack at a BSF convoy along the Srinagar-Jammu highway outside the garrison town of Udhampur. Muhammad Naved Yakub, a member of the LeT, was captured alive by a group of villagers after his accomplice, Muhammad Noam, was killed in the security forces’ retaliatory fire.

Two BSF men were also killed in militants’ initial firing. Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, chief of Army’s northern command, has said that there is no doubt that Pakistan has been interfering in Kashmir and has a direct role in what can be termed as “proxy war” in Kashmir. “There is no doubt in our mind that Pakistan has been interfering in Kashmir and has a direct role in what we are calling the proxy war in Kashmir. There is no doubt in our mind. We are seeing it every day along the borders, we are seeing from the manner in which support is being given to it. We have seen how sometimes, ceasefire violations along the LoC, are actually in support of people who are infiltrating inside,” he said while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Kargil Vijay Diwas at Drass on Tuesday.

Referring to the ongoing turbulence in Kashmir valley, he said that whenever there is an internal disturbance, Pakistan directly takes advantage of it. “You have heard statements by Hizb-ul- Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. They are trying to say that they are supporting whatever is happening in Kashmir. It is absolute physical support and there is no doubt of that in our minds,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Hooda paid homage to the soldiers at the war memorial in Drass who had laid down their lives during the Kargil war in 1999. Celebrations to commemorate the victory of Indian troops over Pakistani intruders in the 1999 war started with great fervour and enthusiasm under the aegis of Leh Corps on July 21. The defence sources said that Lt. Gen. Hooda was accompanied by the General Officer Commanding of Ladakh-based Fire and Fury Corps, Lt. Gen. SK Patyal. He also interacted with the ‘veer naaris’ (wives of the slain soldiers), awardees and relatives.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt. Gen. Hooda paid glowing tributes to the sacrifices and expressed his gratitude to the slain soldiers, their next of kin and wives. A memorial service, that included prayers by religious teachers and lighting of lamps, was organised at the war memorial last evening. The week long celebrations, ending on Tuesday, included many events involving the local citizens, especially the youth and children from Drass and Kargil regions of Ladakh.

Udhampur based defence spokesman Col S.D. Goswami said that the retired army officers Col. Basu Deb Maitra and Lt. Col. Dipak Das were honoured by the army chief, Gen. Dalbir Singh, during the celebrations. After paying floral tributes to the martyrs during the wreath laying ceremony held at the war memorial, these officers presented few historic signature photographs of Kargil war to Lt. Gen. Hooda.

A wreath laying ceremony was also conducted at the war memorial at Post-9 in Siachen Brigade.