A policeman was killed while a terrorist was allegedly injured during a gunfight in a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Monday, December 15, PTI reported citing officials.
The gunfight has ended but the area remains under a tight security cordon with all escape routes blocked to contain the hiding terrorists, they added.
The encounter took place in Soan village of Majalta area of the hilly district after security forces launched a search operation after receiving information about three terrorists allegedly associated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a report said.
Jammu Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti informed that contact with the terrorists was made after the police in a remote village received specific information about them.
“A joint team of police Special Operations Group (SOG) along with Army and CRPF is on the job,” the news portal quoted the officer as saying.
Read also | Police seized AK rifles and pistol cartridges from Kashmir Times office in Jammu
Meanwhile, in a post on X IGP Jammu said, “A very small SOG team engaged the terrorists! Combing the forest was made impossible due to darkness and treacherous terrain.”
Officials said the encounter took place in the besieged village around 6 pm and lasted for some time, resulting in the injury of one SOG jawan, who later succumbed to his injuries, the report said.
One terrorist is also believed to have been injured in the initial gunfight, they said, adding that the operation was called off for the night and would resume on Tuesday. Reinforcements rushed to the area to reinforce the cordon and neutralize the terrorists, it added.
Read also | Operation Bihali: One JeM terrorist killed in Jammu and Kashmir Udhampur
Terrorist arrested in Pulwama
The recent search operation comes days after security forces arrested a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)-linked terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district and recovered a grenade from him on Friday, December 12, PTI reported quoting police.
Jammu and Kashmir Police in Awantipora with security forces arrested Musaib Nazir, a terror associate involved in promoting terrorist activities, a police spokesperson told a news portal.
Acting on reliable information about the suspect’s movement in the Naner Midoora area, the security forces launched a search operation in the area, the spokesman said.
During the search, Nazir, who lives in Ladhoo Khrew in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and is said to have links with JeM, was detained and a grenade was recovered from him, the spokesman added.
He mentioned that a criminal complaint has been filed and further investigation is underway.
(With input from agencies.)
