Jammu— Five terrorists have reportedly been trapped in two ongoing gunfights in the Udhampur and Kishtwar districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The encounters are taking place between joint security forces and terrorists in Chatroo village (Kishtwar district) and Jopher village (Udhampur district).
“Operations are underway at both locations. Three terrorists are believed to be trapped in the Jopher area of Udhampur, while two others are surrounded in Kishtwar,” an official said.
The first exchange of fire began earlier in the day in Jopher, following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ramnagar police station.
“As the police and security forces approached the location, they came under fire from the terrorists, triggering the ongoing encounter,” the official added.
While the Udhampur operation was in progress, joint forces cordoned off Chatroo village in Kishtwar, prompting a second gunfight to break out.
These incidents follow a significant gunbattle on March 23 in Sanyal village of Kathua district, just 4 kilometers from the international border with Pakistan. That encounter extended to Safiyan Jakhole village, where two terrorists were killed, and four police personnel were martyred.
In response, joint forces expanded their “seek and destroy” operation to the higher reaches of Kathua and Rajouri districts. A brief exchange of gunfire also took place in the Billawar area of Kathua.
Reports indicate that five terrorists infiltrated across the international border into Indian territory. The same group is believed to have been involved in the encounters at Sanyal and Safiyan Jakhole. While two terrorists were killed in Safiyan Jakhole, efforts to track down the remaining three continue.
On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar, emphasizing the government’s resolve to completely eradicate terrorism and restore peace in the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Suchindra Kumar, all Corps Commanders in J&K, the Director General of Police, and chiefs of the paramilitary forces. (Source: IANS)
