In Poonch sector of J&K, 2 jawans martyred; BAT of Pak attacked patrolling jawans

Image: Representational

Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir): A third attempt of armed intrusion by Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) in Poonch this year was foiled on Thursday at 2 p.m. Two jawans were, however, killed in the exchange of fire. Pakistan earlier in the day violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Poonch. An area domination patrol was targetted by armed intruders and in the exchange of fire, one was killed. Another armed intruder was injured and covering fire by Pakistan posts facilitated his extrication. Pakistan's BAT team was 600 m within the Line of Control (LoC) and 200 m far from their posts. The operation is still going on and exchange of fire is on. Pakistan's BAT was earlier in news after it mutilated the bodies of two Indian soldiers on Monday in Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control, where they had beheaded Lance Naik Hemraj in 2013, in May. The Indian Army confirmed the involvement of the BAT in the gruesome act. "Pak Army carried out unprovoked rocket and mortar firing on two forward posts on the Line of Control in the Krishna Ghati sector. Simultaneously, a BAT action was launched on a patrol operating in between the two posts. In a unsoldierly act by the Pak Army, the bodies of two of our soldiers in the patrol were mutilated. Such despicable act of Pakistan Army will be appropriately responded," read the Indian Army's statement. It is the same Krishna Ghati sector where the Pakistani BAT had beheaded Lance Naik Hemraj and badly severed the head of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh of 13 Rajputana Rifles, on January 8, 2013. Indian Army killed terrorist Anwar Khan in August 2015 in Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir. He was part of a 15 member team of Lashkar and Jaish terrorists in the BAT team that killed Hemraj and Sudhakar. Defence experts say that the Pakistan's Special Services Group (SSG) forms the BAT which employs highly trained terrorists for Trans-LoC action up to a depth of 1 to 3 kilometres. In February 2000, seven months after the Kargil War, a Pakistani BAT killed seven Indian soldiers in Nowshera in Rajouri district. The army was shocked to discover the headless body of a soldier, Sepoy Bhausaheb Talekar. Defence experts say that the Pakistani BAT beheads and mutilate the bodies of Indian soldiers to terrorise troops and wage psychological warfare. The SSG commandos and terrorists of BAT mainly use AK-47 rifles, Swiss-made snow clothing and snow boots, Digital Navigation Consoles like Skype and VoIP.