Intense gunfight in Kathua as security forces confront militants

A police personnel was injured on Thursday in a fresh gunfight with terrorists in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir where a massive anti-terror operation is underway for the last four days, officials said.

The gunfight erupted this 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 and an exchange of fire between the two sides was going on when last reports were received.

The terrorists are believed to be the same group that escaped in Hiranagar sector after a gunbattle lasting more than half-an-hour on Sunday evening when a a Special Operations Group (SOG) of police launched an operation after getting intelligence input about their presence inside a 'dhok', a local term for an enclosure in a nursery in Sanyal village near the International Border with Pakistan, they said.

A massive search operation involving the police, army, NSG, BSF, and CRPF armed with technical and surveillance equipment and supported by helicopter, UAVs, drones, bulletproof vehicles, and sniffer dogs continued 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.

The security forces extended the search operation particularly the routes leading to Billawar forest and were successful in tracking down the terrorists, the officials said.

The search parties on Monday 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.

Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat, was camping in Kathua and was seen leading the anti-terrorist operation along with Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti over the past four days.