Srinagar: Army on Sunday said militants are likely to target security forces in busy and heavily populated areas with the aim of causing harm to innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
"Inimical elements are likely to fire upon security forces in busy populated areas and incite them to open fire so that it could lead to death or injuries to innocent civilians and cause collateral damage," General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lieutenant General Om Prakash said in a statement.
He was commenting on the militant attack at Pampore town of south Kashmir`s Pulwama district yesterday in which an Army jawan was killed and another injured.
"Soldiers were securing the NH-44. On finding a suspiciously parked autorickshaw and scooter at Kadlabal Chowk, Pampore, two soldiers approached these vehicles. They were indiscriminately fired upon from very close range... The soldiers in spite of suffering casualties displayed utmost restraint and did not fire at the fleeing terrorists to avoid collateral damage," he said.
On the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in north Kashmir Handwara area, he said items recovered from the six killed militants indicate that either they were a receiving group or had freshly infiltrated.
"There are inputs of large concentration of terrorists in launch pads across the Line of Control which indicates likelihood of increased attempts at infiltration in the future," Lt Gen Prakash said.
He said the Army is fully geared up and is maintaining a high level of vigil to thwart any nefarious designs of the militants.
PTI
