Infiltration bid by terrorists foiled along LoC in J&K's Poonch

The Indian Army troops on Monday scuttled an infiltration bid by terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mendhar Sector of Poonch district, officials said.

The infiltration attempt coincided with the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the winter capital Jammu to assess the situation in the aftermath of the heavy rain and flash floods that left a trail of death and destruction last month.

"At about 5.30 am, troops of White Knight Corps in the general area of Balakot detected suspicious movement near LoC. Fire was immediately opened by alert troops preventing the infiltration attempt.

"Own troops have been repositioned and re-oriented to ensure foolproof domination of the area using all available means. Troops are maintaining high alert in their respective areas," the army's White Knight Corps said in a post on X.

An intense firing between the two sides started again when the army search parties moved close to the scene of the earlier encounter, an official said.

The firing was on between the two sides when the last reports were received.

The official said movement of terrorists trying to sneak into the country from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was picked up near Dabbi village of Balakot in the early hours of the day, leading to the first encounter.

Faced with heavy firing, the terrorists tried to flee, but reinforcements were rushed and the whole area was cordoned off for a thorough search, the official said.