Arms, ammunition including 7 AK rifles recovered from infiltrators, says GoC 19 Infantry Div

Uri: Seven militants were killed and one more captured alive in the nine day long operation against militants in Baramulla’s Uri by government forces, army said on Tuesday. All the militants were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Addressing a presser here, General Officer Commanding (GoC) 19 Division Virendra Vats said that the anti-militancy operation began on September 18 after troops detected movement of militants, ensuing into a gunfight.

“The infiltrating group consisted of six infiltrators and two of them managed to sneak into this side while four others taking advantage of darkness went back,” he said.

He claimed that arms and ammunition comprising 7 AK series rifles, nine pistols and revolvers and more than 80 different kinds of grenades and some Pakistani and Indian currency was recovered from them.

According to Gen Vats, the militants were trapped in a Nallah in Salamabad and the contact with them was established on September 25. Among them, one was killed while another was captured alive, he added.

“He (the captured militant) identified himself as Ali Babar Patra, 19, son of Late Mohammad Lateef of Dipalpur district Okara of Punjab Pakistan.

The arrested infiltrator admitted that he was a member of LeT and was trained by the outfit. “He said that he underwent a three-week course in 2019 at Khyber camp in Muzaffarabad. Subsequently after training, he was sent home and thereafter he was recalled for some important task this year,” the army officer said.

Gen Vats said that the captured militant told them that he had to drop the consignment of arms and ammunition in Pattan area.

“When we saw the recoveries that were made, it is quite possible that these infiltrators had come here for some kind of strike, which went beyond the supply drop. This infiltration attempt was made in the area of Salamabad. This area had a history of infiltration in 2016 that is when a suicide attack on Uri Garrison took place.”

He said that it has also been revealed that this infiltration group was supported by the Pakistani side by three porters who had come to the LoC along with supplies. “The Pakistani post opposite this post is the Jaabri post and movement of such large people cannot take place without active complicity of the Pakistan army.”

Reader correspondent