Intruders gunned down in J&K

The Army on Tuesday gunned down a group of infiltrators which tried to cross over to the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) under the cover of Pakistani firing in Jammu and Kashmir.This incident came even as the government mulled over options to retaliate against Pakistan for an audacious terror strike that killed 18 soldiers in Uri town two days ago.

Another infiltration bid was foiled in Naugam, where one soldier was killed, defence officials said. The exact number of casualties was not immediately known as gun battles were underway in both places.

Tuesday’s developments came as the government was set to finalise an “appropriate” strategic response to the September 18 attack. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is due to meet on Wednesday.The encounters followed a “blatant provocation” by Pakistani forces which violated the ceasefire, forcing the Army to retaliate with full might, officials said in New Delhi.

The Pakistani troops first resorted to heavy



gunfire with small and automatic firearms from across the LoC. No damage was caused to the Indian posts. While unconfirmed reports said 10 militants and a soldier had been killed in the encounters so far, officials didn’t confirm it.

Defence spokesman Col S D Goswami said in Srinagar that “our troops deployed in the Uri sector, reacting to a suspicious movement, intercepted a group of terrorists near the LoC and foiled an infiltration bid.” “Another infiltration bid was foiled in Naugam sector. Operations are in progress,” he said, without elaborating.

As for options before the government, top officials remained tight-lipped, indicating that the timing of actions held the key to best results. The options that have been debated within the military circles included precision airstrikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan; raids by special forces; missiles directed at Pakistani posts; and use of heavy artillery across the  LoC to inflict heavy casualties on the Pakistani side.