Jammu: Four terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, were killed in a landmine blast along the line of control (LoC) when they were trying to infiltrate into J&K’s Poonch district on Monday, officials said.
The deceased terrorists have been identified as top LeT commander Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Ishtiyaq, Mohammad Waqas, and Mohammad Asim.
All of them were residents of Mandla, Madarpur, in Hajira tehsil of PoJK’s Poonch district.
Officials said that the group of terrorists was trying to sneak across the LoC in the Nangi Takri area of Krishna Ghati (KG) Sector late this afternoon when they triggered a mine.
The powerful blast killed all four terrorists on the spot, officials added.
The exact explosion site is in the Satwal-Naki/Nangi Takri area, which is a traditionally known infiltration path used by cross-border operatives trying to sneak into Indian territory.
The infiltrators walked directly into a heavily fortified, forward minefield that forms a central part of the Indian Army’s anti-infiltration obstacle grid.
Security forces have stepped up surveillance and placed the region on high alert following the incident. Ambush parties and border patrols have been deployed heavily to investigate the perimeter and rule out any coordinated breaches. Officials noted that forward areas remain heavily fortified with landmines.
However, recent heavy rainfall in the region has occasionally washed away topsoil, causing older or deeply buried anti-personnel mines to surface or shift unexpectedly.
Just days prior to this incident, the Army’s Bomb Disposal Squad safely located and defused five other weathered landmines exposed near the border fence in the neighbouring Mendhar sector.
Traditional infiltration routes in the Poonch and Rajouri districts (collectively known as the region south of the Pir Panjal mountain range) are shaped by dense forests, rugged ridges, and seasonal streams (nallahs).
Historically, these border corridors serve as cross-border paths where operatives cross the Line of Control (LoC) from launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to reach the higher ridges of the Pir Panjal range. From there, they either set up transit hideouts in the local forests or trek northward through alpine passes to enter the Kashmir Valley.
The highly active sectors and specific traditional routes within these two districts are classified by local security agencies into several key zones.
(IANS)
