Jammu, 27 March (H.S.): 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 neutralize 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 the Sanyal forest of Kathua region or another batch of newly infiltrated terrorists. The encounter triggered intense firing and explosions, the officials said. The gunfight, centered 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 reported 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 is worth mentioning that a group of terrorists was 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 that it is assumed that the same group may have been 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 an SDPO, moved in after receiving specific information, the officials said, adding that they came under heavy fire, resulting in the gunfight. Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were immediately deployed to the area. The quiet village of Suffain in the 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, utilized 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 for an 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 for Jammu Zone Bhim Sen Tuti have been overseeing the anti-terrorist operation from Kathua for the past four days, the officials said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar