Indian Army eliminated five deadly terrorists of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the higher reaches of north Kashmir on Sunday. In an intense operation in the rugged terrain of the Kieran sector over the weekend, five soldiers of elite 4-Para regiment also laid their lives maintaining the highest tradition of the Indian Army, Service before Self. After the operation ended, the Army recovered heavy arms and ammunition and rations, which could have lasted for weeks. As per a report in the Print, the heavily armed terrorists were carrying Pakistani masala tikka flavored 'namkeen' and mixed pickle, including others.
Among the arms and ammunition, the Army recovered five AK-47s, two Under Barrel Grenade Launchers, two pistols, and ammunition and satellite radio communication equipment. Shockingly, the terrorists were also carrying lots of other essential items including morphine, edible items such as figs and cashew nuts and even flavored drink mix Tang.
Pakistani Army supported the terrorists to cross over LoC
Lt Gen BS Raju, the general officer commanding of Srinagar-based 15 Corps said, "This operation clearly shows the complicity of Pakistan in aiding and abetting infiltration and, as a consequence, terrorism in the valley. This act of Pakistan is especially reprehensible because when the whole world is fighting COVID-19 and its aftermath, here is Pakistan aiding and abetting infiltration."
The movements of terrorists were noticed on April 1 near the Line of Control (LoC), who crossed over under the cover from heavy firing by the Pakistan Army. Sources added that the fence on the LOC was buried due to heavy snow and all the route were cut off. Search parties from 8 Jat were dispatched who made contacts with terrorists' on 1st April at 1 pm. In such hard terrain, the terrorists slipped away but were engaged multiple times on 3rd and 4th April.
4 PARA steps in
It was decided to send the Special Forces in the operation as the terrain was hard on regular soldiers. Two teams from 4 PARA an elite Army unit, were heli-dropped that also proved its mettle in 2016 surgical strikes. The Special Forces team started the search operation and soon after the squad leader, Subedar Sanjeev Kumar spotted the terrorists' footsteps and followed the trail. As the party proceeded, they reached to a cornice that is a mass of hardened snow at the edge of a mountain.
Unfortunately, the cornice broke and three soldiers including Subedar Sanjeev fell into frozen nallah, the point where the terrorists were hiding. Soon after, the entire area echoed with gun flashes as the terrorists opened fire. In hand to hand fight, 5 terrorists were dispatched to hell and the Army lost three of its finest soldiers on spot. Two soldiers were evacuated to Base hospital in Srinagar but were later succumbed to their injuries. The entire nation is indebted to the supreme sacrifice made by Subedar Sanjeev Kumar, Havildar Davendra Singh, and sepoys Bal Krishan, Amit Kumar, and Chhatrapal Singh.
