3 Pakistani militants killed in Handwara encounter; AK-47s recovered

Srinagar: Three militants were killed on Thursday in a gunfight that erupted after they attacked a counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles (RR) camp in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

Talking to reporters after the encounter ended, Colonel Rajiv Saharan, the commanding officer of 30 RR, Handwara, said a huge quantity of arms and ammunition and communication devices were recovered from the slain terrorists. 

The terrorists were Pakistanis, said Col Rajiv Saharan, adding the medicines recovered from them have 'Made in Pakistan' markings.

"These terrorists were carrying huge quantity of arms and ammunition and other war-like stores, including three AK-47 rifles, two under barrel grenade launchers, large quantity of small arms, ammunition and grenades, GPS radio sets, maps, metric sheets and food and communications stores," he said. 

"Our sentries, who were on high alert carried out retaliatory fire to deny terrorists who entered our fencing. Our quick reaction team was activated. They localised the area where the terrorists were spotted, and after that, they carried out sanitisation of the area. Three Pakistani terrorists were eliminated," Colonel Rajiv Saharan added.  

The security personnel are still carrying out combing and search operations. 

"Operation is still continuing, sanitisation of the area is not yet complete," added the officer.

The militants opened fire on an Army camp at Langate in Kupwara district at around 5 am, which was retaliated by the alert jawans, an Army official said.

After repulsing the attack, the security forces launched a search operation in the area, during which the militants fired upon them, leading to an encounter.

"Three terrorists were killed in the resulting encounter," Colonel Rajesh Kalia, spokesman of the Indian Army's Srinagar-headquartered 15 Corps confirmed to news agency IANS.

 

"Heavily-armed terrorists dressed in Army fatigues attacked the 30 RR camp situated in Langate town of Kupwara district at 5.10 am today (Thursday).”

"The alert guards at the 30 RR camp in Langate located close to a civilian facility foiled the terrorists' attempt to enter the camp by breaching its security periphery," he said.

"The terrorist firing stopped for some time, but it started again at 6.30 am," he added.

 

"No casualty or injury was suffered by the RR troops".

 

On October 3 a BSF trooper was killed and another injured when militants attacked the camp of 47 RR in Janbazpora area of Baramulla town.

The militants, however, managed to escape.

(With Agency inputs)