J&K Encounter: 4 Policemen Killed, 2 Terrorists Shot Dead in Kathua; Several Security Personnel Injured
Srinagar: Four police personnel were killed in action during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, sources said on Thursday. Two terrorists were also shot dead, while three to four others remain holed up.
Five security personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
For the past five days, teams from the Army, National Security Guard, Border Security Force, Police, Special Operations Group, and Central Reserve Police Force had been conducting search operations in the area. An exchange of fire took place on Sunday, and on Tuesday, a local resident informed the police that two men in army uniforms had asked her for water while having food in the area.
The casualties occurred when police advanced deep into the forests and engaged in close-quarters combat with the heavily armed terrorists.
During the fierce gun battle, two terrorists were neutralized, but four policemen lost their lives, and five others were injured, according to an official involved in the operation.
J&K Encounter: Retrieval of Slain Cops’ Bodies Delayed Amid Challenging Terrain, Ongoing Operation
An official stated that the retrieval of the bodies of the fallen policemen has been delayed due to the difficult terrain and the presence of more terrorists in the area.
Nalin Prabhat, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, is leading the large-scale anti-terror operation in Kathua. He confirmed the killing of two terrorists and expressed confidence that the remaining holed-up militants would soon be neutralized.
On Sunday, at least five terrorists were cornered in the Sanyal forests. However, after a fierce exchange of fire with the police, they managed to escape and reached Juthana, 20 km away. At the initial encounter site, they left behind magazines of US-made M4 rifles, indicating they were armed with advanced weaponry.
On Thursday morning, security forces tracked them down again in the Juthana forests, triggering another intense gun battle.
The operation is being conducted with aerial support from helicopters and drones, along with bulletproof vehicles and sniffer dogs. Security agencies have interrogated multiple individuals and detained three suspects. On Tuesday, forces recovered two grenades along with other materials.
According to a report by news agency IANS, tracksuits found among a large cache of ammunition in the Sanyal forests were identical to those worn by four Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) terrorists killed in the Assar forests and Doda in June and August last year.
The terrorists are believed to have infiltrated into India on Saturday.
