The Hindu : India, Pak. exchange fire

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 18, 2002

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India, Pak. exchange fire

By Our Correspondent

Army and ammunition captured from millitants displayed at an Army camp in Kupwara on Sunday. - Photo: Nissar Ahmad

JAMMU MARCH 17. India and Pakistan exchanged heavy mortar shelling in the Samba sector of Jammu region today.

A jawan was injured when Pakistani troops unleashed heavy mortar shelling from the Glar Tanda border outpost on an Indian outpost.

BSF sources said Indian troops fired in retaliation and the exchange continued for four hours.

Panic gripped the Samba sector with people from the adjoining villages of Fakira Chak, Sadoh, Ben and Glar migrating to safer places. Some cattle were also reportedly killed.

The J&K Government has banned processions throughout the Jammu district in view of the situation in various parts of the country after the `shila dhan' at Ayodhya.

According to an order issued by the Jammu District Magistrate, Rohit Kansal, no person would be allowed to proceed from Jammu to any outside area for any `kar seva'.

13 militants killed in encounters

Thirteen militants were gunned down by security forces in separate encounters in the State since yesterday.

Defence sources told The Hindu that in Surankote area of Poonch district security forces gunned down two militants in an encounter late last night. The slain militants were identified as Abu Kamran (Lashkar-e-Taiba) and Shahbaz (Al-Badr).

In another encounter, security forces shot dead Zubir of the HUJI outfit. They also shot dead a foreign militant at Bimber Gall sector in Rajouri district last evening, the sources added. The forces busted a hideout in Gambhir Mughlan near Rajouri and seized 104 rounds of AK ammunition, 17 rounds of PIKA ammunition and a grenade.

Four foreign militants were killed by security forces in a fierce clash in the frontier district of Kupwara last night. Four AK rifles and five magazines were recovered from the slain militants, sources said.

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