“So far five militants have been killed in the operation,” Defence spokesman Col Uma said. “We also lost three soldiers, including Commanding Officer of 45 RR,” he said adding that reinforcements had been sent towards the encounter forests.
The Army said the Commanding Officer of the 45 RR, Colonel JJ Joseph, who was leading his troops from the front, received fatal wounds and died on way to hospital. “There is every possibility of more militants hiding in the dense forests and the operation is going on to flush them out,” Uma said. He said the identity of the militants had not been established yet.
The Army is yet to confirm whether it was an infiltration bid by the militants from across the LoC, but sources said a group of militants sneaked into the Machil sector from PoK through Harmen Gali late on Thursday night. They were being tracked by the Army right from the LoC and later the troops of the 45 RR intercepted them in the Machil forests.
This is the second big encounter near the LoC in Kupwara sector since July this year. In the first week of July, six Armymen, including three officers, were killed close to Sadna Pass. As many as 12 militants were also killed in the encounter that lasted for five days.
The Indian Army has been blaming the Pakistani Army for violating ceasefire in Nowgam and Tanghdar sectors that lie close to the place where Friday’s encounter took place.
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