5 soldiers dead in J&K attack

The three-day long gunfight in the Halmatpora jungles between the Lashkar-e-Taiba militants who managed to infiltrate the Kupwara region and the security forces came to an end on Thursday, with the troops now launching operations to sanitise the area.

Security forces suffered heavy casualties when five soldiers, including three army personnel and two policemen, were killed in a fierce encounter that started on Tuesday afternoon. In equal retaliation, five militants have also been killed in the operation.

"The cross-firing has stopped, but the mopping operation is still underway. It will take some time to conclude," said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, defence spokesman at Srinagar.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, SP Pani added, "It was a very difficult operation as it happened amongst thick forest and vegetation. Large cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered from the militants. All of them are foreigners. On the basis of material available, all the militants are from Lashkar-e-Taiba", said Pani.

Meanwhile, the five soldiers who lost their lives — three from Jammu and Kashmir and two others from Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand — were laid to rest with honours as floral tributes were paid to them by top police, army, and civil officers. Member of Parliament Fayaz Ahmad Mir led the police and security force officers in paying the tributes.