An Army soldier, Rifleman Mohit Rathour, laid down his life on Saturday fighting Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) that intruded through the Line of Control (LOC) and attacked a forward post at Kamkari in the Machhal Sector of Kupwara in North Kashmir.

A Pakistani intruder was killed during the gunfight and another soldier seriously injured. The injured soldier was evacuated to the military hospital for treatment.

A statement by the Army said that the “Indian Army is firm in its resolve and commitment to maintain the sanctity of the LOC and defeat the nefarious and inimical designs of the Pakistan Army”.

The Chinar Corps of the Army said in the morning that “There has been an exchange of fire with unidentified personnel on a forward post in Kamkari, Machhal Sector on the Line of Control (LOC). One Pakistani person has been killed while two of our soldiers have suffered injuries and have been evacuated. Operations are in progress”.

Further details about the identity of the Pakistani intruders were awaited.

However, reports said that the BAT team involved in the attack is suspected to have regular Pakistan Army troops including their SSG commandos who work closely with terrorist organisations.

An Army statement in the afternoon said that “Taking advantage of bad weather and poor visibility along Line of Control in Machhal Sector, a group of two to three armed personnel crossed the LC and fired on a forward Army post from close proximity. Alert troops responded vigorously and in the ensuing exchange of fire one Pakistani intruder was killed alongwith recovery of weapons, ammunition and war like stores. Identification and affiliation of this Pakistani National is being ascertained”.

“During this intense fire exchange, two of our brave soldiers also suffered some grave injuries and were hence immediately evacuated to the Base Hospital at Srinagar.

Unfortunately, one of these Bravehearts has succumbed to his injuries. The other brave is responding well to treatment and care and is presently stable”, the statement added.

“In the past too, similar attempts by infiltrators, actively aided and abetted by the Pakistani Army have exploited thick foliage and poor visibility conditions but have always, as today, been successfully thwarted and disrupted”.

The attack has come two days after the Army Chief, General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday visited the forward locations along the LOC in Kashmir where he exhorted all ranks of the Army to remain steadfast in meeting the emerging security challenges. The Army Chief also reviewed the security situation along the LOC.

Pakistan backed terrorists have during the past few days heightened their activities along the LOC in J&K. A Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Indian Army, Dilwar Khan, laid down his life on Wednesday in a gunfight with terrorists in the Kowut area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara.

A day earlier on Tuesday, another Army soldier was killed after being critically wounded during a gunfight as troops foiled an infiltration bid by heavily armed terrorists in the Battal sector along the Line of Control (LOC) in the Poonch district of Jammu.

A soldier was injured on Monday when terrorists attacked the house of a Village Defence Group (VDG) member in the Rajouri district.