Infiltration bid foiled, 5 militants killed near LoC

The army foiled a major infiltration bid on Saturday along the Line of Control in Kashmir, killing five terrorists.

Troops noticed movement of heavily armed militants near the Line of Control in Tangdhar sector in Kupwara district, 185 km from Srinagar, during the intervening night of August 30 and 31, an army official said.

The infiltrators were challenged by the troops leading to a gunfight between the two sides.

"Alert troupes detected a group of heavy armed militants trying to infiltrate. They opened fire when challenged, triggering a gunfight at the end of which five militants were killed," said a defence spokesperson.

Searches in the area are continuing.    

The elimination of the infiltrators comes a day after security forces killed five top foreign militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, including district commander Qari Assadullah, in Kangan area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

Infiltration attempts by militants from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have increased over the past three months and more than 20 ultras have been killed during operations along the LoC.