Army foils infiltration bid as Pak troops violate ceasefire along LOC in Poonch

The Army on Sunday foiled an attempt by a group of terrorists to intrude into this side under the cover of Pakistani firing from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said. 

Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said the Pakistan army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from 5:15 pm along the LoC in Poonch sector to facilitate an infiltration attempt by a group of terrorists.

The alert troops deployed at the border detected the movement and engaged the infiltrators with effective automatic fire, he said, adding that search and sanitisation operations were in progress.

Earlier, a police official said the firing from small and heavy weapons from across the border took place in Khari Karmara sector and continued for about 15 minutes.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualty in the Pakistani firing, he told PTI.

The Army PRO said Pakistan does not abandon its nefarious designs of supporting and abetting infiltration across the LoC. 

"The Army is keeping a strict vigil across the LoC and is prepared to thwart any nefarious designs of Pakistan sponsored terrorists," he said.

Twenty people -- 11 security personnel and nine civilians -- were killed and over 75 others injured in Pakistani shelling along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu division since the beginning of this year.