Srinagar: At least six Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants and seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in two separate incidents on the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday. Army claimed to have foiled a possible fidayeen attack in Uri while as in another incident in Poonch retaliatory action by Indian army left seven Pakistani soldiers dead.

The militants were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Dulanja Uri, over 100 kms from Srinagar, when security forced intercepted a group of infiltrators while they were trying to cross the Jhelum river in a boat during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

“Since past few days, we were getting inputs about possible attempts to infiltrate from Uri sector. So, ambushes were laid out in that area by Army, J&K police and CRPF. In the morning, exchange of fire took place in one of the ambushes, Vaid said.

“In the initial gunfight, three militants were killed and the fourth one was killed later,” an Army officer said.

“The bodies of the two militants were recovered during searches.”

J&K Police Chief Shesh Paul Vaid said the slain were “suicidal members of Jaish”.

Meanwhile, a massive search and combing operation is underway in the area to see if any other militant is hiding in the area.

A senior Police official in Baramulla said the group had “come with a plan of undertaking a Fidayeen attack”.

This is the first infiltration bid that has been foiled this year by the Army. Last year, the government sources said, over 100 militants had managed to sneak into the Valley, while over 60 were killed along the LoC.

 “Major infiltration bid was foiled along the LoC in Uri sector, a major mishap has been avoided on the Army Day,” Brigadier YS Ahlawat said.

He said that this is the first infiltration bid of 2018. 

“Indian Army is committed to continue with its vigil and stop the nefarious designs of Pakistan,” Ahlawat added.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the security forces for the success of the operation.

The government forces also recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition included four AK-47s and three Underbarrel Grenade Launchers, 38 UBGL grenades, 23 hand grenades, nine IEDs and “other war-like items”, have been recovered from the slain militants. In September 2016, heavily-armed militants of the JeM had carried out one of the deadliest attacks on the Indian Army and stormed their base in Uri, killing 18 Indian soldiers.

Meanwhile, in another incident, the Indian Army claimed that its men killed seven Pakistani Army men, including a major, and injured four others as it retaliated to a ceasefire violation in Mendhar sector along the LoC in Poonch district.

“Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC and resorted to shelling on forward posts in Jaglote belt in Mendhar sector early on Monday,” a senior Army officer was quoted by PTI.

However, Pakistan Army’s defense communication wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed by shelling across the Line of Control in Jandrot sector.

ISPR said that the troops were busy with maintenance of a communication line when they were “fired upon and hit by [a] heavy mortar round.”

The ISPR said three Indian soldiers were killed and a “few injured” in the retaliatory action.

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