TIMES OF INDIA.COM New Delhi :
Indian security forces hit back at Pakistan, hard, overnight Monday, killing three Pakistani soldiers across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), and separately, neutralising a wanted Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist in J&K’s Pulwama district.
In retaliation for a ceasefire violation on Saturday , the Indian Army undertook an operation very reminiscent of last year’s surgical strikes. They crossed over to PoK early Tuesday, to Rakhchikri in the Rawlakot sector, and killed three Pakistani troops while also wounding one, agencies reported.
Thus, India avenged the unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling and firing in the Keri sector by Pakistani troops on Saturday, which led to three soldiers and one Army Major being martyred.
In a separate operation, a crack team of Jammu and Kashmir police cordoned off a house in the Samboora area of Pulwama district where two JeM terrorists were believed to be holed up, police said.
In the ensuing encounter, wanted Jaish terrorist Noor Mohammad Tantray was killed. Tantray had been out on a parole since 2015. He was the mastermind of a suicide attack at Srinagar airport earlier this year.
Tantray’s death is a blow to the JeM, as he was the key operative reviving the terror group in south and central Kashmir.
“We came to know of presence of a JeM terrorist who was the mastermind of all attacks carried out by JeM. Encounter continued till early morning, JeM terrorist was killed and one AK-56, pistol and magazines were recovered,” said Muneer Khan, inspector general of police, J&K.
On Saturday, Pakistani troops opened fire on an Indian Army patrol, killing a Major and three soldiers, along the LoC in the Keri sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district. A defence spokesman said Pakistani troops targeted the Army patrol at Brat Galla in the Keri sector.
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a total of 881 ceasefire violations this year, highest in the past seven years, along the LoC and the International Border (IB), resulting in the death of 34 persons.
According to officials, Pakistan has violated ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir 771 times till December 10, and 110 times along the IB till November-end this year.
Thirty persons — 14 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four BSF personnel-were killed in such incidents.
The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November, 2003.
India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan , of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.
In 2016, there were 449 incidents of ceasefire violations wherein 13 civilians and 13 government forces personnel were killed and 83 civilians and 99 security personnel were injured.
In 2014, there were 583 incidents of ceasefire violation in which 14 civilians and three security personnel were killed and 101 civilians and 28 security personnel were injured.
In 2015, the number of ceasefire violations was 405; 347 in 2013, 114 in 2012, 62 in 2011 and 70 in 2010.
