Security forces hunt for terrorists holed up in Udhampur village

Security forces searched for terrorists in Udhampur on Tuesday, a day after a policeman was killed in a gunfight there, a police officer said.

During the encounter on Monday, one terrorist was believed to have been injured, while two policemen suffered minor bullet wounds. "The operation has been resumed in the area to track down the holed-up terrorists. The cordon has been further strengthened," the officer told PTI.

A joint team of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of police, along with the army and the CRPF, is on the job with sniffer dogs, the officer said.

On Monday, forces got locked in a gunfight with terrorists in Soan village of the Majalta area in Udhampur. The village was raided by the police on a tip-off about the presence of three terrorists, believed to be affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit.

The encounter took place in the besieged village around 6 pm and continued for some time, resulting in injuries to one SOG jawan, Amjad Pathan, son of Bashrat Khan. Pathan, a resident of Salva, Mendhar in Poonch district, later succumbed.

"A very small SOG team engaged the terrorists. Combing of the forest has been impeded due to darkness and treacherous terrain," IGP Jammu Bhim Sen Tuti said in a social media post.

Udhampur's Basantgarh lies on the route traditionally used by Pakistani terrorists to enter from the International Border in Kathua and move to Doda and Kishtwar districts in Jammu, and further into the Kashmir Valley. The area has witnessed several encounters and terror incidents in the past.

Pathan's body awaits a post-mortem, and once it has been done, a wreath-laying ceremony will be undertaken in Udhampur, the officer said.