Kupwara, Jul 15: Security forces on Monday said they eliminated three hardcore foreign terrorists who attempted to infiltrate across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Keran Sector of north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and other war-like stores were recovered from their possession.
During a joint press conference, Commander 268 Infantry Brigade, Keran Sector, Brigadier NR Kulkarni, along with Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the district, Shobhit Saxena, informed the media about the operation.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Brigadier Kulkarni said that for the past few weeks, intelligence inputs indicated that terrorists were trying to infiltrate the LoC along the Keran Sector, intending to carry out sabotage and subversive activities, particularly aiming to disrupt the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
On July 12, specific intelligence inputs were provided by their agencies, which were corroborated by the Jammu & Kashmir Police, regarding a group of foreign terrorists likely to infiltrate by leveraging the dense forest cover and thick undergrowth along the nallahs. In response, multiple ambushes were jointly laid by the army, police, and the BSF from the night of July 13 to 14 along the infiltration routes,” he said, adding that the area was monitored and kept under surveillance.
Brigadier Kulkarni said that on July 14, around 15:00 hours, heavily armed and well-trained terrorists, equipped with sophisticated weapons, attempted to infiltrate across the LoC, taking advantage of the dense forest cover and poor visibility due to unfavourable weather conditions. “This triggered intense firefights. In the ensuing battle, three hardcore foreign terrorists were neutralised,” he said.
Following the gun battle, a thorough search operation was conducted in the area, leading to the recovery of a large quantity of war-like stores, including three AK series rifles along with magazines, four pistols, grenades, and more,” Brigadier Kulkarni said, adding, “This successful intelligence-based operation, named Operation Dhanush II, exemplifies the close synergy between the Indian Army, BSF, and Jammu & Kashmir Police.”—(KNO)
