Indian Army Rules Out Aerial Strikes Against Militants in Kashmir

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, Jan 6: With the encounter between the militants and Indian army personnel entering the 6th day in restive Kashmir, the Indian army ruled out aerial strikes against the militants.

The militants and Indian army personnel have been engaged in one of the fierce gunfights in the Bhatidar forest area in the mountainous Poonch region of the Kashmir. The gunfight began on Thursday and since then has been going on. So far two Indian soldiers and a police officer have been killed while the Indian army claims that four militants have also been killed in the gunfight, which has now become one of the longest encounters in the history of Kashmir.

More than 2500 Indian army personnel have been engaged in the operation to flush out the militants from the area.

An Indian army spokesman in Srinagar said that the operation is going on. "The cordon deployed in the area around the forest is intact and the search operations have been partially hindered due to the dense forests. The area is thickly forested and the folds in the ground alongwith a number of natural caves are providing hideouts to the militants," he said.

The spokesman further said that the topography and terrain has possibly provided a cover and hideouts for the militants. "The Army had laid a proper cordon in the area and is taking adequate measures to prevent any escape of militants," he said.

However, he ruled out that aerial strikes will be carried out against the militant positions in the area. "Neither have we any plans to conduct aerial strikes nor will we be using helicopter gunships against the militants," he said.

In the past, Indian army has used helicopter gunships several times to fight militants.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.

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