Army foils infiltration bid on LoC in J&K’s Kupwara, firing continuing (Lead)

Srinagar, July 14 (IANS) The Army foiled an infiltration bid by a group of heavily armed terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Kupwara district on Sunday and firing exchanges were still on in the area, officials said. Officials said that alert troops of the army noticed the movement of heavily armed terrorists along the LoC in the Keran sector of Kupwara.”The terrorists were challenged after which an exchange of fire started between the army and the terrorists. The firing exchanges were continuing when last reports came in,” an official said.Security forces including the army, paramilitary forces, and the J&K Police are aggressively fighting terrorists, by destroying their hideouts, and arresting over-ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers of the terrorists.In a massive security revamp, it was recently decided that all the mountain tops in the Jammu division would be manned by the army and the CRPF to ensure that the terrorists are deprived of the opportunity to carry out hit-and-run attacks on security forces. During the last few months, it was noticed that the terrorists would carry out attacks and then disappear into the densely forested areas in Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Doda, Kathua and adjoining districts in the Jammu division.–IANSsq/vd