Jammu and Kashmir: The Pakistani drones attempted to enter the Indian side of the border on Saturday night, prompting the Army troops to open fire to take them down, officials said on Tuesday (July 9). The Indian troops, guarding the LoC, picked up the movement of a Pakistani drone at a height of over 1,000 metres along the Line of Control in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir at around 9.15 pm and fired five rounds within the next 10 minutes to bring it down but it managed to return, they added.
The drone returned to Pakistan after briefly hovering over the Indian territory late Monday night.
Another drone spotted
After over half an hour, a Pakistani drone was again spotted entering the Indian territory and two more rounds were fired at it following which it returned to the other side, the officials said.
The Indian Army launched a search operation in the forward villages as the first ray of the Sun struck to ensure that no weapons or narcotics were dropped by the drones, they added.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh to anyone giving information about drones flown from across the border to drop weapons and narcotics, leading to the recovery of the material.
Terror attack in Kathua
The entry drones took place on the day when terrorists opened fire at an Indian Army vehicle in Kathua, killing five soldiers and leaving four others injured.
The terrorists targeted an army truck, part of a routine patrolling party, with a grenade and gunfire on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road near Badnota village in Lohai Malhar, approximately 150 km from Kathua town, around 3:30 pm.
Following the attack, the terrorists fled into the nearby forest, while the army, supported by police and paramilitary personnel, retaliated. The army vehicle, which had ten occupants, suffered the brunt of the assault, resulting in fatal injuries to five soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO). Five others were transferred to the Pathankot military hospital for medical treatment.
(With PTI inputs)
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