Army soldier killed in Pakistan firing near LoC in Kupwara

The martyred soldier was identified as Lance Naik Rajender Singh of Rashtriya Rifles.

SRINAGAR: An Indian Army soldier was killed due to heavy shelling by the Pakistani troops on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday.

The martyred soldier was identified as Lance Naik Rajender Singh of the Rashtriya Rifles.

Singh was killed after Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire on the LoC in the Machil sector of Kupwara district and resorted to heavy firing targeting the Indian border outposts.

Sources said that the Indian side retaliated heavily to the unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Army at the border outposts in Machil sector in the wee hours of Saturday.

"Lance Naik Rajender Singh of 57 Rashtriya Rifles suffered critical injuries in Pakistan firing. He was taken to a nearby medical facility, but he succumbed to critical injuries,'' the sources said.

The Army is yet to officially confirm the unpleasant development.  

The Rashtriya Rifle soldiers were maintaining a vigil on the LoC border fence when the incident occurred.

In a related development, two terrorists were gunned down after a fierce gunbattle with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.

The J&K Police said after receiving information about the presence of some terrorists there, security forces started a cordon and search operation in Bonbazar area of Shopian town early Saturday.

"As the cordon around the hiding terrorists was tightened, they fired at the security forces triggering an encounter in which two of them were killed,'' the police said.

"The exact identify and group affiliation of the slain terrorists is being ascertained,'' it added.