Infiltrator killed in J-K's Kupwara, Pak's BAT attempt foiled: Army
Srinagar, Jan 2: A Pakistani national was killed by the Army while trying to infiltrate into Kashmir in Kupwara district, an official said on Sunday.
An AK-47 and large quantity of ammunition was recovered from him, the official said.
"In a complete breach of the ongoing Ceasefire Understanding between the two armies across the Line of Control, an infiltration or BAT action (Pakistan Army's Border Action Team) was attempted in the Keran Sector of Kupwara district on January 1. Swift action by the troops foiled the bid and eliminated the terrorist," the official said.
The slain man was identified as Mohammed Shabbir Malik, a Pakistani national, equipped with weapons, ammunition and warlike stores, he said.
"The incident site is located on the Pakistani side of the Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System, kept under surveillance by the Indian Army to effectively counter any nefarious activity by the infiltrators or Pakistan Army," the official said.
Giving out details, the official said an armed intruder was detected moving from areas under the control of Pakistan Army across the Line of Control at around 3 pm on Saturday.
"Ambushes were laid along likely routes that could be adopted by the intruder and movement was followed till 16.00 hours (4 pm). The ambush was sprung at the opportune moment and the infiltrator eliminated. The body of the slain infiltrator was recovered along with one AK-47 and large quantity of ammunition, including seven grenades," he said.
The surveillance of the area is in progress, denying any exploitation of the bad weather condition prevailing in the area and the operation is underway, he added.
He said the route adopted by the terrorist was similar to the one adopted on April 4, 2020, during Operation Rangadori Bhaikh in which five terrorists were eliminated.
The official said the slain man's national identity card and vaccination certificates, issued by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, Government of Pakistan, ascertained his identity.
"The belongings also include a photo of the infiltrator in Army uniform wearing the name tab of Shabbir," he said.
The official said this clearly establishes that Pakistan continues to sponsor cross border terror.
"A hotline communication has been made to Pakistan Army asking it to take back the body of the killed individual," he said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
