Pak BAT soldier killed during infiltration attempt near LoC, Indian Army dials Pakistan to take back body

An infiltration bid by a Border Action Team (BAT) from Pakistan was foiled by the Indian Army on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, a military statement said on Sunday.

"In complete breach of the ongoing ceasefire understanding between the two armies across the LoC, an infiltration by BAT was attempted in the Keren Sector of Kupwara district on January 1, 2022," the statement said.

It went on to say that "swift action by the troops deployed at the LoC foiled the bid and eliminated the militant, later identified as Mohd Shabbir Malik, a Pakistani national, equipped with weapons, ammunition and warlike stores".

According to the Indian Army, the incident site is located on the Pakistani side of the Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System, "kept under surveillance to effectively counter any nefarious activity by the infiltrators or Pakistan Army".

"The armed intruder dressed in Pathani suit and black jacket was detected moving from areas under the control of Pakistan Army across the LoC at around 3 a.m.," the statement said.

"Ambushes were laid along likely routes that could be adopted by the intruder and movement was followed till 4 p.m. The ambush was sprung at the opportune moment and the infiltrator killed.

"The body of the slain infiltrator was recovered along with one AK47 and large quantity of ammunition including seven grenades," the Army statement added.

The Army added that surveillance of the area is in progress and the route adopted by the militant was similar to the one adopted on April 4, 2020 during Operation Rangadori Bhaikh in which five militants were eliminated.

"A search of the belongings revealed Pakistani national identity card and vaccination certificates... The belongings also include a photo of the infiltrator in Army Uniform wearing name tab of Shabbir," reads the statement.

"This clearly establishes that Pakistan continues to sponsor cross border militancy. A hotline communication has been made to Pakistan Army asking them to take back the body of the killed individual."