In a meticulous  operation the Indian army has captured one terrorist belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a well- known  Pak sponsored terror group.  According to the army, one terrorist was neutralised while another surrendered during the operation in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

The captured Pakistani militant is identified as 18-year-old Ali Babar Patra from Okhara, Punjab in Pakistan. He has admitted that he is a member of  the LeT,  and was trained by the group in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).

According to Major General Virendra Vats, GOC, 19 Infantry Division in Uri, an operation was carried out for  over nine days along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector. “It started on September 18, when our patrol along LoC detected infiltration movement,” he told ANI. Gen. Vats added that the infiltrating group was supported from Pakistan by porters who came to the border with supplies. He added that such activities cannot take place without “active complicity of the Pakistan Army”.

This infiltration attempt was made in the area of Salamabad nallah. It's the same area through which we've had a history of infiltration in 2016, that's when a suicide attack at Uri Garrison took place: Maj Gen Virendra Vats, GOC, 19 Infantry Division, on Uri infiltration attempt pic.twitter.com/c9jA9wQNP1

— ANI (@ANI) September 28, 2021

When the encounter took place, two infiltrators came across the border, while four were on the other side. On September  25,  an encounter ensued, during which one terrorist was neutralised and another was caught.

According to the Divisional commander, after the firefight, the four terrorists on the Pakistani side took advantage of the dense foliage and went back to the Pakistani side. Two terrorists sneaked into the Indian side. Additional forces were mobilised to cordon the two terrorists who had infiltrated into Indian territory.

“This infiltration attempt was made in the area of Salamabad nallah. It is the same area through which we have had a history of infiltration in 2016 — that's when a suicide attack at Uri Garrison took place,” Gen. Vats was quoted as saying by ANI.

According to sources, the LeT militant Ali Babar confessed that  "Pakistan  army is responsible for sending youth across LoC. After joining LeT, I got Rs. 20,000 and was handed over to ISI along with others trained by the Pakistani  army. My family was to be given Rs. 30,000, after I got launched in Kashmir.”

He further told the Indian army that no civilian can cross   the border without the Pakistani army’s hand in it. After the operation, the army seized five AK rifles, eight pistols, 69 grenades including ones of Chinese and Pakistani make, two improvised explosive devices and Indian currency worth Rs 35,000 and Pakistani currency worth Rs 3,300.

“Current violence levels in the Kashmir Valley are low. The infiltration bid indicates Pakistan’s desperate attempt to sustain cross border terrorism and bring in weapons to orchestrate violent incidents in the valley,” says the army in a statement.

There has been a ceasefire on the LoC since February, with no exchange of fire between the two armies, but infiltration attempts continue. According to intelligence, Pakistan has been trying to push across as many terror groups as possible into the Valley before the onset of winters. Further the intelligence inputs indicate that the movement of terrorists is high in POK.

Also Read: Internet, phone services suspended in Uri after infiltration bid