Security forces on Wednesday intensified an ongoing search operation by widening the cordon to track down and eliminate terrorists hiding in remote villages of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials said.
Several gunshots were heard when security forces launched the operation in the Najote forest area of Billawar tehsil on Tuesday following inputs about the presence of a terrorist in the area.
There was no direct contact between the terrorist and the security forces. Latest information suggested that the terrorist managed to escape the cordon by taking advantage of the difficult terrain and the cover of darkness, officials said.
The terrorist reportedly took food from a shepherd in a nearby area around midnight before moving deeper into the forest, they said.
Reinforcements have been deployed in several directions and over a dozen villages around Najote have been cordoned off to track down the terrorist and his associates, the officials added.
As per officials, the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) also launched a cordon and search operation in Jakhole Baira and neighboring villages in the Rajbagh area after a local resident reported suspicious movement of two persons near his cattle shed.
However, no trace of the suspicious persons has been found so far, the officials said.
Ahead of Republic Day, security has been further intensified across the Jammu region, especially in border villages and high-altitude areas, to prevent any terrorist activity.
Frequent drone intrusions from across the border in recent days have also emerged as a major security concern, leading to the deployment of additional forces at vulnerable locations.
Increased patrolling, area domination exercises and night surveillance are being carried out to prevent infiltration attempts or airdropping of arms and narcotics, officials said.
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