Two militants have been killed in a night-long operation by the Indian Army at Balakote, Poonch, in Jammu. The operation was launched after troops noticed some suspicious movement along the Line of Control (LoC).
The army resorted to speculative firing and later launched an operation in the area.
During the operation, contact was established with the militants and two were killed in an exchange of fire. Their identities are being ascertained. The operation is continuing to find out if more militants are present in the area.
This comes in the wake of a high alert in place following the killing of six civilians by militants in Upper Dhangri in Rajouri, including two minors on January 1 and 2. More than 10 people were also injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the Rajouri attack has gone up to seven after one more injured succumbed to the injuries, After the attack, the Centre rushed additional para-military forces to Rajouri and Poonch to prevent further attacks on the minorities in the two districts. Jammu is a Hindu majority region, but in districts bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) they are a minority. The Dhangri attack is being investigated by the NIA.
