JAMMU: An encounter is ongoing between security forces and a group of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur District on Tuesday, authorities reported.
DIG Udhampur Reasi Range Rayees Mohammad Bhat while speaking to media said, “For the last 3-4 days, we were following the movement here and yesterday we got some specific information about the movement and after that, we cordoned off the area. Yesterday morning we started the operation and at around 4:30 pm contact was established with the terrorists and contact was established twice in 2 hours. Even now, as per our information, a group of 3-4 (terrorists) is trapped inside our cordon and due to this the operation is continuing for the second day today. We hope that the group will be neutralised as soon as possible.”
“Following a precise tip-off about activity in the vicinity, a search and destroy mission was initiated in the early hours today by our teams; contact has been made with a group of terrorists in the Khaned zone of Basantgarh Police Station. Operations in progress,” DIG, Union-Reasi, Rayees Mohammad Bhat, stated in a post on X.
After specfic input was gleaned regarding movement in the area, a SADO was launched in the wee hours today by our parties; contact has been established with a group of terrorists in Khaned area of PS Basantgarh. Ops underway@JmuKmrPolice @adgpi @crpfindia
— DIG, Udhampur Reasi Range (@UHqrs) August 6, 2024
SSP Udhampur Joginder Singh told The New Indian that the search operation is on to track down the terrorists and security personnel are on the job. Reinforcements have also rushed to the area to track down and neutralise the holed-up terrorists, he said.
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In April, a Village Defence Guard was killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Dudu area of Basantgarh while the terrorists had managed to escape. Regular search operations and long-range patrols including deep inside the forests are being taken out regularly in Basantgarh.
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Udhampur is one of the hilly districts of the Jammu region where foreign terrorists have been reported to be hiding in the thick forests.
To eliminate terrorism from the mountainous districts of the Jammu region, including Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kathua, Reasi, and Union, the army has deployed over 4,000 soldiers, including elite Para commandos and those trained in mountain warfare. The terrorists concealed in the dense forests of these districts have conducted hit-and-run assaults against the army, paramilitary forces, and civilians.