'Infiltrator killed near LoC was Pakistani soldier'

A militant killed near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday while trying to infiltrate into India has been identified as a Pakistani soldier, army sources said.

According to the sources Friday, the killed militant had been identified as Mohammad Ikhlaq, a Pakistani soldier of 60 Punjab regiment. They said communication has been established with the Pakistani side and "the body would be handed over today (Friday) itself".

According to an army spokesman Thursday, a group of militants was crossing the LoC into the Indian side in Jhangar sector of Rajouri, about 170 km north of Jammu.

Indian troops challenged them on noticing their movement which led to a fire-fight between the two sides, leaving one militant dead and an Indian soldier injured.

According to the sources, there were only two infiltrators and they were sighted about 400 metres inside Indian territory in Jhangar area.

Pakistani soldiers had Jan 8 intruded into the Indian side in Mendhar areas of Poonch district, killed two Indian soldiers and beheaded them. This resulted in escalation of tension between the two countries, but the situation eased after a flag meeting between the two sides Jan 14. - IANS