Jammu and Kashmir: Four terrorists, including top LeT commander, killed in landmine blast during infiltration bid

The powerful explosion killed all four terrorists on the spot, said officials. Representational Pic

Four terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, were killed in a landmine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) while allegedly attempting to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Monday, officials said.

The terrorists have been identified as top LeT commander Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Ishtiyaq, Mohammad Waqas and Mohammad Asim.

All four were residents of Mandla, Madarpur, in Hajira tehsil of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir's (PoJK) Poonch district, news agency IANS reported.

Officials said the group was attempting to cross the LoC in the Nangi Takri area of the Krishna Ghati (KG) Sector late Monday afternoon when its members triggered a landmine.

The powerful explosion killed all four terrorists on the spot, officials added.

The blast occurred in the Satwal-Naki/Nangi Takri area, a traditionally known infiltration route used by cross-border operatives attempting to enter Indian territory.

Jammu and Kashmir: Security stepped up along LoC after blast

The infiltrators reportedly entered a heavily fortified forward minefield that forms a key part of the Indian Army's anti-infiltration obstacle grid.

Following the incident, security forces stepped up surveillance and placed the region on high alert. Ambush parties and border patrols have been deployed in the area to examine 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 before Monday's incident, the Army's Bomb Disposal Squad located and safely defused five other weathered landmines exposed near the border fence in the neighbouring Mendhar sector.

Traditional infiltration routes in the Poonch and Rajouri districts, which lie south of the Pir Panjal mountain range, are characterised by dense forests, rugged ridges and seasonal streams, locally known as nallahs.

Historically, these border corridors have served as routes for operatives crossing the LoC from launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to reach the higher ridges of the Pir Panjal range. From there, they either establish transit hideouts in local forests or travel northwards through alpine passes to enter the Kashmir Valley.

Local security agencies classify the highly active sectors and traditional infiltration routes in these two districts into several key zones.

(With IANS inputs)