Kathua encounter

The body of another policeman was sighted using a drone on Friday near the spot where a gunfight took place earlier in a remote forested area in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.This is the fourth cop to have died in the gunfight in which three terrorists are also confirmed to have been killed, officials said.

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On Thursday, three suspected Pakistani terrorists of proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit and an equal number of policemen were found dead after the day-long gunfight while one policeman was reported missing. Seven others, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured in the gunbattle.

The officials said the security forces resumed the operation with the first light of the day, having the primary focus to retrieve the bodies of the deceased, finding a missing policeman and neutralising any other threat.

They said the joint security parties are moving cautiously to the targeted area as two more terrorists are believed holed up there. They were also presumed dead earlier but their bodies could not be sighted by the drones.

The operation, centred near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, against the terrorists started around 8 am on Thursday amid intensified operations led by police against the ultras who had recently infiltrated from across the International Border in Hiranagar sector, the officials said.

However, it was not immediately clear whether it was the same group that had been evading an earlier cordon in Sanyal forest of Hiranagar or another batch of infiltrated terrorists.

Three terrorists were killed in the onslaught led by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and assisted by the Army and CRPF.Adding to the tension, five police personnel, including a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), were reportedly trapped near the gunfight’s location, adjacent to a rivulet concealed by dense foliage.

However, the SDPO — a DSP rank officer — was evacuated in an injured condition from the scene late Thursday evening, while three of his personal security officers were found dead while another body of a policeman was sighted this morning.

Besides the SDPO, three more policemen were admitted to Kathua hospital and their condition was stated to be stable. Two army personnel were also injured in the operation.

Earlier, a group of terrorists was intercepted on Sunday evening within a ‘dhok’, a local term for an enclosure in a nursery, in Sanyal village near the International Border with Pakistan in the Hiranagar sector.

A subsequent search operation, involving the police, army, NSG, BSF and CRPF, utilised advanced technical and surveillance equipment to track down and neutralize the terrorists.

Despite the massive search operation, the terrorists managed to escape the initial cordon, the officials said, adding it is assumed that the same group could have been possibly spotted near Jakhole, approximately 30 km from the initial encounter site.

The search teams discovered evidence on Monday, including four loaded magazines of M4 carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, food packets, and materials for constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near the Hiranagar encounter site.

The terrorists were moving through the forest area towards the Billawar side when a police party headed by a SDPO moved in after getting specific information but came under heavy firing, resulting in the day-long gunfight.

Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were immediately deployed to the area, while the special forces of the army were also airdropped to neutralise the terrorists.

Police believe the terrorists infiltrated on Saturday, possibly via a ravine route or a newly constructed tunnel from across the border.

Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat and Inspector General of Police (Jammu Zone) Bhim Sen Tuti have been overseeing the anti-terrorist operation from Kathua for the past four days, the officials said.

The People’s Anti-Fascist Front, a proxy outfit of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), claimed responsibility for the encounter.

Army’s rising star corps, whose troops are involved in the operation, lauded the police personnel involved in the operation.

“Rising Star Corps salutes the valor & indomitable spirit of the brave (J&K) Police personnel who made the supreme sacrifice fighting valiantly during the ongoing OP (operation) Safiyan in Kathua. Their courage and dedication will always be remembered,” the Army said in a post on X.

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A fierce gun battle in a remote forested area of Kathua district has left two terrorists dead and five security personnel injured as the security forces intensified their operation to neutralise an infiltrating group of about five militants, officials said on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear whether it was the same group that had been evading an earlier cordon in Sanyal forest of Kathua region or another batch of freshly infiltrated terrorists.

The encounter triggered intense firing and explosions, the officials said.

The gunfight, centred near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, involved a group of approximately five terrorists and an initial exchange of gunfire resulted in injuries to Special Police Officer Bharat Chalotra, who sustained facial wounds.

He was treated at a Kathua hospital before being transferred to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu, where his condition was stated to be stable.

The officials said that two terrorists were killed in the onslaught led by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and assisted by the Army, the BSF and CRPF.

Adding to the tension, three security personnel, including a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), were reportedly trapped near the gunfight’s location, adjacent to a rivulet concealed by dense foliage.

The officials said a clear picture would emerge only after the ongoing encounter ended.

It may be mentioned that a group of terrorists were intercepted by the SOG in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Sunday evening.

Despite a massive search operation, the terrorists managed to escape the initial cordon, the officials said, adding it is assumed that the same could have been possibly spotted near Jakhole, approximately 30 kilometers from the initial encounter site.

The terrorists were moving through the forest area when a police party headed by a SDPO moved in after getting specific information, the officials said, adding they came under heavy firing resulting in the gunfight.

Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were immediately deployed to the area.

The quiet village Suffain in Kathua district was shattered by the relentless sounds of gunfire, grenades, and rocket fire as a fierce exchange raged throughout the day, punctuated by a series of powerful explosions.

Earlier, a group of terrorists was intercepted on Sunday evening within a ‘dhok’, a local term for an enclosure in a nursery, in Sanyal village near the International Border with Pakistan.

A subsequent massive search operation, involving the police, army, NSG, BSF, and CRPF, utilised advanced technical and surveillance equipment, including helicopters, UAVs, drones, bulletproof vehicles, and sniffer dogs.

The search teams discovered evidence on Monday, including four loaded magazines of M4 carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, food packets, and materials for constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near the Hiranagar encounter site.

Police believe the terrorists infiltrated on Saturday, possibly via a ravine route or a newly constructed tunnel from across the border.

Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat, and Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti, have been overseeing the anti-terrorist operation from Kathua for the past four days, the officials said.