Four Pakistani terrorists killed in blast during alleged infiltration bid in Poonch

Four Pakistani terrorists, including a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, were killed in a landmine blast while allegedly attempting to infiltrate into India across the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district on Monday, officials said.

The explosion occurred in the Satwal-Naki area of the Krishna Ghati sector when a group from the Pakistan side allegedly attempted to cross into Indian territory, they said. The blast, caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), rocked a forward village along the LoC.

The deceased were identified as Muhammad Ishtiaq, Muhammad Faizan, Muhammad Waqas and Muhammad Asim. Faizan was identified as a senior LeT commander. All four were residents of Mandla, Madarpur, Tehsil Hajira, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), officials said.

The circumstances leading to the explosion have not yet been established, they added.

Satwal-Naki is considered a traditional infiltration route, and security forces have reported attempts by terrorists to cross into the Indian side through the area in the past. Officials also recalled an earlier incident in which six to seven members of Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) were killed in a similar manner in the sector.

Following Monday's blast, security forces sounded an alert and stepped up surveillance along the LoC to assess the situation and prevent any possible security breach, officials said.

In a separate incident, Army personnel detected two rusted landmines near the border fence in the Basoni area of the Mendhar sector.

The explosive devices were spotted during track construction at 8.25 am and 12.10 pm, respectively, officials said. Army experts later destroyed both mines in controlled explosions.

Forward areas along the LoC are dotted with landmines as part of the anti-infiltration system. Heavy rainfall can sometimes dislodge the mines and expose them in other locations, posing a potential risk, officials said.