A SEEK and destroy operation to track down three terrorists, believed to be hiding in a forested area in Panjthirthi-Barota in Kathua following an encounter last night, resumed Tuesday with multiple agencies engaged in the effort, officials said. The area was placed under a cordon after the Monday night gunfire between police and terrorists. The officials said the three terrorists are believed to be from a group that had its first face-off with security forces in the Nursery area near the International Border on March 23. All of the terrorists had managed to escape. Four days later, security forces engaged them in an encounter in a forest area of the Sanyal belt of Kathua when two terrorists were eliminated, and the rest managed to flee.

 

During this exchange of fire, four policemen were also killed and three others injured. With the hiding terrorists changing their locations in the jungle, the security forces have launched a multi-agency operation to track them down. “Search and destroy operations were launched at first light on Tuesday morning. Operations in progress”, the Army’s rising star corps said on its X handle. Security forces on Tuesday launched search operations in five areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. “Acting on intelligence inputs, multiple surveillance-cum-ambushes were deployed in general area Panjtirthi Kathua by Indian Army, Police and CRPF. Suspicious movement was observed on the night of 31 March, leading to an exchange of fire,” it added.

 

Mine blast along LoC followed by brief firing in J&K’s Poonch: SECURITY forces resorted to brief firing following a mine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Wednesday, officials said. The mine blast occurred under suspicious circumstances in a forward area of the Krishna Gati sector early this morning, they said. This prompted the troops deployed along the LoC to open retaliatory fire briefly. There were no injuries or casualties reported in the incident. However, locals claimed there was firing from the Pakistani side also.