A search operation to track two to three terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district continued on day 2 after an initial encounter in the heavily forested Kanzal Mandu area of the Kuchal-Chatroo belt on Wednesday night.
The search operation resumed with sniffer dogs and a drone pressed into service by the security forces, while maintaining a tight cordon on the escape routes with further reinforcements, though heavily forested areas have often posed additional challenges to security forces.
According to unconfirmed reports, one of three assailants has been injured in the gun battle, which continued on Thursday morning. The encounter began after the joint team of police, security forces and central reserve police forces launched a cordon and search operation in the dense forest belt in the Kuchal area of Chatroo.
Around 7:45 pm on Wednesday, the security forces closed in on the location of the hiding militants after receiving Intel inputs about the presence of militants in the area.
The officials said that militants opened fire on the search parties, leading to a gunfight which continued till the last reports about the ensuing gun battle came in.
Meanwhile, further reinforcements have been rushed to the area to maintain a tight cordon and surveillance to kill the militants, who are allegedly affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, they said.
As per the latest reports, top members of the group, including Saifullah and Adil, are believed to be operating in the hills of the district.
The encounter comes days after the first encounter was reported between another groups in the Udhampur district, in which a top Jaish Commander, Haider, codenamed Moulvi, was killed by the security forces.
His three associates managed to give the slip to searching security forces in the forested area of the Basantgarh belt of Udhampur district.
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