NEW DELHI, Mar 27: A fresh encounter broke out in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, where a massive anti-terror operation has been underway for the last four days. Two terrorists were killed in the gunfight, while five police personnel were injured. Three of the five police personnel are reportedly in serious condition.
The gunfight erupted Thursday morning when the security forces spotted the terrorists near Jakhole village in Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, some 30 km from the scene of Sunday’s encounter in Hiranagar sector.
Officials said reinforcements had been rushed to the area and an exchange of fire between the two sides was going on when the last reports were received. The terrorists are believed to be the same group that was engaged in a gunbattle with security forces in the area on Sunday, which injured a minor girl.
A massive search operation involving the police, army, NSG, BSF, and CRPF armed with technical and surveillance equipment and supported by helicopters, UAVs, drones, bulletproof vehicles, and sniffer dogs, entered its fourth day in a bid to track down the terrorists who are believed to have infiltrated on Saturday via either the ravine route or through a newly created tunnel from across the border.
According to the officials, they launched an operation on Sunday after receiving intelligence input about the presence of terrorists in ‘dhok,’ a term used to refer to an enclosure located within the nursery in Sanyal village. However, as they moved into the area, they came under heavy gunfire from the hiding terrorists, triggering a fierce exchange of fire. No casualties were reported in the gunfight.
The security forces had extended the search operation, particularly the routes leading to the Billawar forest and were successful in tracking down the terrorists, officials said, before Thursday’s encounter. Security forces found four loaded magazines of M4 carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, several packets of eatables, and separate polythene bags containing material for making Improvised Explosive Devices near the scene of the encounter in Hiranagar.
Kathua has emerged as a major infiltrating route for Pakistan-based terrorists to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir over the past year, which is noticeable from a series of terror incidents. This has prompted security forces to ramp up operations to eliminate terrorists.
Earlier on March 17, an encounter took place between terrorists and security forces in Kupwara district. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Krumhoora village of Zachaldara following information about the presence of terrorists in the area.
(Manas Dasgupta)
