Hours after a report said India made another surgical strike on Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday refuted the claims and said that Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid by Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Balakote Sector. However, the ministry asserted it was not a surgical strike, as claimed.
Ministry, in an official statement, said that on Monday morning, two terrorists were detected by alert troops to be making attempts to cross the LoC onto the Indian side, “making use of inclement weather, dense fog, thick foliage, and undulating ground in Hamirpur area of Balakote Sector.”
Earlier today, a newspaper report claimed that Indian Army has once again carried out a surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Quoting sources, the report claimed that Army destroyed four launching pads of Pakistani terrorists by entering 2.5 kilometers across the LoC on Saturday night.
It claimed that seven to eight terrorists were killed in India’s surgical strike and all the soldiers of the Indian Army returned safely after the mission.
WHAT MINISTRY SAID?
“Intelligence Inputs received from Multiple Intelligence agencies and Jammu and Kashmir Police revealed the presence of terrorists waiting to cross the LC from opposite own Balakote Sector. Based on these inputs own surveillance grid was placed on heightened alert and multiple ambushes were sited at suitable location,” the ministry’s statement read.
As the terrorists approached India’s ambush sites, they were challenged and then engaged with effective fire, the ministry said, adding that this forced the terrorists to flee from the ambush site by making use of weather and ground conditions.
“However effective fire resulted in one terrorist falling down on the ground near the LC. Additional troops were then moved into the area and search operations commenced in the afternoon after improvement of weather conditions and visibility,” it said.
During searches in the area, Indian Army recovered an AK 47 rifle with two magazines, 30 rounds, two grenades, and Pak-origin medicines.