- Poonch encounter ends; soldier injured as infiltration bid foiled in Rajouri
Srinagar/ Jammu, Sept 15: In a significant success ahead of the assembly elections, three terrorists were killed on Saturday following an overnight gunbattle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, even as a fresh encounter broke out between terrorists and police on Sunday in a forest area in Kathua district, while an overnight gunfight in Poonch district ended with one terrorist believed to have suffered injuries.
In the neighbouring Rajouri district, an army personnel was injured in an encounter with terrorists attempting to infiltrate across the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday.
Briefing the media after the Baramulla operation in Chak Tapper Kreeri in the Pattan area of the north Kashmir district on Saturday, Commander of the Army’s 10 Sector Rashtriya Rifles Brigadier Sanjay Kannoth said that security forces had been receiving inputs about the movement of terrorists in Kreeri.
“Last (Friday) night, we received specific intelligence from intelligence agencies about the presence of some unidentified terrorists in Chak Tapar/Watargam,” he said, adding that a cordon was established at the suspected location.
“Our columns were fired upon by the terrorists hiding in a disused building. As per the standard operating procedures, we returned the fire. The location was cordoned and reinforcements were inducted,” Brig Kannoth said.
He said the terrorists continued with incessant heavy firing on the troops throughout the night which was effectively countered.
“The operation continued in the morning (Saturday) when our troops in a very professional manner engaged the terrorists and neutralised them without any collateral damage to civilian life and property,” the army officer added.
In the operation, three “hardcore” terrorists were neutralised and a large quantity of war-like stores were recovered, Brig Kannoth said, adding that the identity of the terrorists is yet to be ascertained.
The officer said keeping in view the forthcoming sensitive events in the UT, “this operation assumes significant importance and is a notable success for the security forces and a disruption of nefarious Pakistani design in the Kashmir Valley”.
Campaigning is on in Jammu and Kashmir for the three-phase Assembly elections which are being held after 10 years.
Meanwhile, a fresh encounter broke out between terrorists and police on Sunday in a forest area in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, while an overnight gunfight in Poonch district ended with one terrorist believed to have suffered injuries, officials said.
A police search party came under fire from terrorists at remote Nuknali Nalla in Bani area of Kathua district late this afternoon, the officials said.
They said the police party returned the fire and an exchange of fire was going on between the two sides when last reports were received.
Reinforcements have been rushed to plug escape routes and help neutralise the terrorists, the officials said.
In Poonch, the officials said the overnight encounter in Pathanateer area near Gursai top in Mendhar sub-division ended around noon.
Blood stains were seen near the scene of the gunfight, suggesting that one of the terrorists had got injured, they said, adding the area is still under cordon and a search operation is underway to hunt down the fleeing militants.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of two to three terrorists, a joint search operation was launched by the police and Army in the area on Saturday evening.
The search party came under fire from the hiding terrorists, triggering a gunfight, the officials said, adding intermittent exchange of fire continued till this afternoon.
Also, an army personnel was injured in an encounter with terrorists attempting to infiltrate across the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, security officials said.
The encounter occurred in the Kalal area of the Nowshera sector when army troops guarding the LoC intercepted a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate into this side, the officials said.
This was the second infiltration attempt by terrorists in Nowshera in the past week. Earlier on September 9, two heavily armed terrorists were killed near the LoC in the Laam area of this sector.
Army troops noticed some terrorists and challenged them, leading to a gunfight which continued for some time, the officials said, adding the terrorists fled into the nearby forest and a massive search operation is on to track down and neutralize them.
