Eight persons -- two troopers and six militants -- were killed in the Tangdhar sector of the Line of Control in north Kashmir Kupwara district on Saturday when army troops challenged a group of heavily-armed infiltrators.
A defence spokesman here said, "Troops of 16 JAT regiment observed movement of terrorists last night. A contact was established with the terrorists. When challenged, they fired at the troops and tried to run away. A long firefight ensued resulting in killing of all six terrorists."
"Two troopers were also killed in the sustained gunfight," Lt Col A K Mathur told rediff.com.
Meanwhile, the army chief General Deepak Kapoor on Saturday concluded his two-day visit to the state, the first after he took over.
During the visit General Kapoor reviewed the current security situation in the valley and interacted with senior military commanders of 15 Corps.
The spokesman said, "General Kapoor visited 34 Rashtriya Rifles, which recently dealt a blow to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba outfit by eliminating nine hardcore terrorists."
He lauded the troops for their bravery and the leadership of Major KP Vinay and Major Dinesh Raghuraman who laid down their lives in the operation.
"In a unique and unprecedented gesture, army chief pinned seven Army Chief Commendation Cards on the chests of those gallant soldiers who played key roles in successful elimination of the nine dreaded terrorists," the spokesman said.
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