The security forces on Friday killed one terrorist in a joint operation of the Army, the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir police in the state’s Kathua district, with search operations still ongoing.
The eliminated terrorist was affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, the police said.
The operation was launched in the general Billawar area after receiving specific intelligence inputs, and the security forces cordoned off the area. Contact was established with the terrorist, and he was killed in a precise strike.
“A Pakistani Jaish terrorist has been neutralised by a small JKP team in a joint operation with the Army and CRPF in the general area of Billawar, Kathua district,” Jammu inspector general of police BS Tuti said.
Earlier on Thursday, a soldier was injured in a fresh encounter that broke out after a brief lull of four days, with a group of Jaish terrorists in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district.
“A brief gunfight broke out with Pakistani terrorists and security forces in Arigam Dwathar area near Singpura in Chatro on Thursday morning. In the exchange of fire, a soldier was injured. He was airlifted to Command Hospital in Udhampur,” said a senior police officer.
Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area, he added. On January 18-19, a commando of the Special Forces, Havildar Gajendra Singh of Uttarakhand and eight soldiers were injured in a fierce gunfight in the Singpura area.
“Since then, a big search operation was launched to track down the terrorists. This morning, the army, CRPF and J&K Police tracked the terrorists in Arigam Dwathar area, around 200 metres away from Sonnar in Singpura,” said the officer.
A group of two to three terrorists affiliated with the Pakistan-based JeM are believed to be trapped in the area.
Meanwhile, a cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched in the border area of Akhnoor in Jammu district after locals claimed they spotted movement of three to four suspected terrorists in the Sumah area of Akhnoor.
Thursday’s encounter marked the fourth conflict between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year, making the Kathua encounter the fifth.