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Lieutenant colonel among 3 officers killed in combat

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The office complex of the Kargil deputy commissioner was damaged this afternoon by a direct hit while three army officers were killed and 10 others were injured in fierce combat in the Batalik sub-sector of Kargil sector late yesterday.

Police sources in Srinagar said troops late yesterday mounted a flushing-out operation in the Batalik area to clear some strategic posts after the area was pounded by jet fighters through the day.

But the troops encountered heavy automatic fire from Pakistani infiltrators hiding in underground bunkers and they lost a lieutenant colonel, a major and a captain. But the troops still managed to advance. Reinforcements have been rushed in to evict the invaders whose exact number in the area is unknown.

The police sources said seven infiltrators were gunned down.

They added that heavy shelling by the Pakistani Army continues in and around Kargil and Drass. But no one was injured. In the afternoon, one shell hit the office complex of the Kargil deputy commissioner, causing extensive damage. Again, no one was hurt.

A few days ago, the official residence of the deputy commissioner was hit.

The Kargil Crisis

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