Army eliminates two terrorists in Poonch amid hunt for Rajouri killers

The army shot dead two terrorists near the line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district late on Saturday night. The terrorists were killed in the Balakote sector late on Saturday after the army detected suspicious movement and opened fire.

The bodies of the slain terrorists were recovered only on Sunday morning.

In a statement the army said: “Indian Army foiled a major Infiltration bid and neutralised two terrorists in Balakot, District Poonch (J&K). The operations to nab terrorists involved in the Dhangri attack continued by the security forces in Rajouri and Poonch Districts”.

Indian troops acted after they observed movement around the border fence and cordoned off the area. Search operations are still in progress after the encounter last night.

Meanwhile, ANI reports that the death toll in the Rajouri terror attack reached seven after one person, Prince Sharma admitted to the hospital, succumbed to his injuries. The killed include two children.

Pakistan-based terrorists had gone on a killing spree in a Rajouri village after identifying Hindus and opening fire on them last week. The terrorists had also hidden IEDs at different places in Rajouri with a view to killing more villagers.

The Central government has rushed more para-military forces to villages in Jammu for the protection of civilians. The government is also supporting village defence committees in Rajouri and Poonch in a bid to thwart attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists.