Army colonel, a soldier and four militants killed in Kashmir

Srinagar, July 31 (UNI) A Commanding Officer (CO) of 9 Maratha, Colonel Vasant V another soldier and four Pakistani infiltrators were killed in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence ministry spokesman said.

Giving details about the incident, he said troops guarding the Line of Control (LoC) noticed a group of militants sneaking into this side from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) near Ghodetal, about 15 km from Uri, under the cover of darkness, late last night.

He said Commanding Officer of 9 Maratha Light Infantry colonel Vasant V, alongwith reinforcement rushed to the area to personnely supervise the operation.

He said immediately troops occupied dominating positions and prevented the heavily armed militants to escape in the dense forest.

Heavy firefight ensued in which Colonel Vasanth personally lead the operation against the militants.

Displaying courage and operational acumen, Col Vasanth poised himself and his party to block the escape routes of entrapped militants. Though being wounded, he moved swiftly closer to the hiding place of militants. With little care for his personal safety, the Commanding Officer, leading from the front, gunned down the entrapped militants.

In a point blank face to face exchange of heavy volume of fire Colonel Vasanth, Lance Naik Bachav Shahkant Ganapat and Lance Havildar Ramanna R B were injured, the spokesman said.

Three to four militants were killed, he said.

Col Vasanth and Lance Naik Bachav Shahkant Ganapat succumbed to injuries in hospital.

The operations are still in progress when the reports last came in.

This was the second infiltration attempt in the sector since Defence Minister A K Antony visited forward areas in the Jammu and Kashmir last Saturday. Seven infiltrators and their families were arrested by the troops immediately after they sneaked into this side on Saturday.

Officials said about 50 infiltrators were killed by the troops near the LoC after they crossed over to this side from POK since January this year.

About one hundred others, including their family members, surrendered before the security forces on their return from POK during the past two years.

UNI