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Troops kill 6 Lashkar men in Jammu

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

In what is touted as one of the biggest operations by the army since the ceasefire in Kashmir began two months ago, six Lashkar-e-Tayiba men were shot dead in Jammu region on Sunday.

The army said such precise strikes against foreign terrorists were "no violation of the ceasefire" and would continue.

The operation was carried out after residents of a village on the outskirts of Jammu tipped off a nearby army unit about the presence of the armed LeT men.

A quick reaction team was immediately sent to the village. The encounter lasted for more than half a day and resulted in all six terrorists being killed, officers at army headquarters said.

The terrorists, the officers said, had sneaked into India after the cease-fire began. "Since the ceasefire was announced in the beginning of Ramadan, there has been a drastic reduction in infiltration. But several attempts are being made," a senior army officer said.

The Sunday operation, the army believes, has sent a strong signal to terrorists of the LeT and the Jaish-e-Mohammed, the two groups identified on Tuesday by the Cabinet Committee on Security as violators of the truce.

Announcing the extension of the ceasefire on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had pointedly asked Pakistan to curb the activities of the LeT and JeM. The chief of army staff, General S Padmanabhan, too had named these groups last week at his press conference in the run-up to Army Day.

Sources in Srinagar said the local militants were "almost completely inactive, it is only the foreign militants who are active".

Meanwhile, an army spokesman welcomed the extension of the ceasefire announced on Tuesday by the CCS. "It is in keeping with our belief," he said. The army will "respect the ceasefire completely."

But a senior army officer said that in the light of the Republic Day celebrations, the forces have "increased their presence" in the border state. He said there was increased monitoring of the situation there "without disturbing the civil life".

The army "will continue with its 'defensive offence' strategy", he added. There will not be any cordon-and-search operations during the ceasefire, "but if any specific information is provided about any terrorists planning any action, we will neutralize them."

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