SRINAGAR INDIA: Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy fire in Kashmir preventing Indian forces from recovering dead soldiers’ bodies both sides said.

Indian army sources said at least two Indian soldiers had died in five days of clashes around a village in the Himalayan state

The battles appeared to be some of the most serious since an insurgency erupted 20 months ago in the two-thirds of Kashmir that India controls.

An Indian army spokesman said till last reports came in the heavy exchange of fire was continuing in the Ara. Which has been the scene of almost daily firing for the past one year According to a report from Jammu some Pakistani troops had also infiltrated along with the militants in their houses.

The reports said that regular Pakistani troops had infiltrated into the village on August 22 and as the Indian forces moved in Monday night to clear the intrusion they came under heavy fire from holed up militants and Pakistani soldiers..

The Indian forces then used heavy artillery to blast the militant and Pak troops entrenchments and force them to flee back to Pakistan territory. As the Indian operation was underway Pakistan troops were reported to have rushed heavy reinforcements from across the Gurdian Chedney and Nakakot areas.

This is the second time that Pakistani troops had entrenched themselves in Indian Territory in the strategic Poonch sector. Earlier in June last Indian oops had to launch a big operation to clear a similar intrusion in the nearby Ring contour area the spokesman said.

Last year Pakistani troops had intruded into Indian Territory in the Machil sector of Kupwara district and had built make-silt defenses on the Indian soil. This intrusion too had been promptly cleared by Indian forces he claimed.

According to the official spokesman Pakistani forces have been continuously providing heavy covering fire to militants to enable them to sneak into India and also use border incidents as a diversionary tactics to facilitate the militants’ crossover he said.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 30, 1991