In a major retaliation to Pakistan’s unprovoked firing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Keran sector that killed 5 soldiers on April 5, the Indian Army said on Friday that it had shelled a terrorist launch pad, an ammunition dump and and artillery positions across the de facto border in the same area.
A video of the same was released by the Indian Army five days after a squad of five Indian Army Special Forces soldiers engaged and eliminated four Pakistani terrorists in the Kupwara sector but were also killed in the encounter on Sunday.
A fifth terrorist who escaped from the encounter site was eliminated by soldiers near the Line of Control.
A video footage by a drone camera released by the Indian Army on Friday shows precision targeting of a terror launch pad and an ammunition dump on Pakistan side of the LoC in Keran sector.
The Indian Army, according to defence sources, has used a battery of artillery guns to target an artillery formation across the LoC that was being used by Pakistan for indiscriminate targeting of defence and civilian facilities in Keran and Tangdhar sectors.
The heavy firing exchanges continued between the two sides for several hours. Fearing for their lives, residents of at least half-a-dozen villages close to the LoC abandoned their homes to run to safer places away from the line of enemy fire.
Defence sources said Pakistan army started unprovoked shelling and automatic gunfire at Indian positions in Keran sector of the LoC Friday morning.
“The unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been befittingly retaliated. There is no casualty on our side,” they said.
Meanwhile, the martyred troopers were part of the team that had conducted surgical strikes at terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) in 2016.
The Sunday gunfight is said to be this year’s bloodiest encounter in any operation against militants in Jammu and Kashmir.