Himalayan News Service

Srinagar, July 16:

The army killed 16 suspected intruders and three other militants in separate gun battles across Jammu and Kashmir today, in what appeared to be a sudden spurt in infiltration bids.

Nine intruders were engaged in a fierce fight by soldiers in the Gulmarg sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in the north Kashmir district of Baramulla at around 11 a.m. “The infiltrators were challenged by the soldiers, they opened fire and in the ensuing three-hour-long gun battle, the army succeeded in killing all the nine intruders,” Defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel VK Batra said here. He said the army killed four other intruders immediately after they crossed into the Indian side in the Keran sector in Kupwara district. The second gun battle also started in the morning and ended in the afternoon. Reports said two soldiers had sustained bullet injuries in the two encounters. Three more infiltrators were killed Saturday morning by Indian troops at Ikhini Nullah in the Sunderbani area, 120 km north of Jammu, defence sources said. Police here said three militants were also killed in separate fights in two villages of Baramulla. The army had earlier killed nine intruders in the Gurez sector of the LoC in an extended gun battle between the security forces and the infiltrating guerrillas earlier this week. “Searches are still continuing in the Gurez sector to locate the bodies of the slain militants,” Batra said.