The security forces on Monday intensified the search operation in the forest area of Hiranagar area of Kathua after an overnight encounter in which a seven year old girl was injured.
The operation is being supervised by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat .
Additional troops including elite commandos, NSGs, drones and sniffer dogs were pressed into service in the morning as security forces carried out massive searches in the dense nursery where the terrorists are believed to be hiding after infiltrating from across the border.
During the search operation, a large quantity of material, including several magazines of M-4 carbine, bulletproof jacket, sleeper bags, track suits, shoes, eatable items, etc were discovered and recovered by security forces today, officials said.
The items were left behind by the militants while escaping from the area.
The operation was launched following an intelligence input regarding presence of terrorists inside a ‘dhok’ located within the nursery in Sanyal village, approximately five km from the International Border in Hiranagar area of Kathua
A joint team of police and army launched the search operation after receiving the input and when the personnel entered the area, they came under heavy fire from the terrorists, leading to an intense gunfight which lasted for more than half-an-hour, officials said.
Reinforcements were swiftly dispatched to aid in the operation, as a manhunt was launched to apprehend the terrorists, believed to have freshly infiltrated
“There has been no report of any casualty in the initial firing and the area was kept under tight security cordon throughout the night before the security forces moved in from different directions with the first light of the day today,” the officials said.
They said there was no fresh contact with the terrorists so far.
According to the officials, some village women collecting firewood reported seeing around five terrorists who had sought refuge in the expansive nursery area.
A seven-year-old girl sustained minor injuries when a stray bullet passed close to her arm and was shifted to a local hospital.
A villager identified as Anita Devi (48) said heavily-armed terrorists caught hold of her husband when they had gone to the nursery to collect firewood.
“The terrorists were holding my husband at gun-point and also asked me to come near. But my husband signalled me to escape and I started running away. One of the terrorists vainly tried to stop me but I started shouting, which attracted the attention of two more persons who were cutting grass,” Devi said.
She said the incident occurred around 4.30 pm on Sunday and all of them returned home and informed the police. They were five in number and were wearing beards and commando dress, Devi said.
Kathua has emerged as a major infiltrating route for Pakistan-based terrorists to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir over the past year, which is evident from a series of terror incidents.
After carrying out deadly attacks in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch over the past four years, terror activities spread to six other districts in the Jammu region in 2024, leaving a total of 44 people, including 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists, dead.
Though the Pir Panjal districts of Rajouri and Poonch witnessed a considerable drop in terror activities in 2024 compared to the previous years, the series of incidents in Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu from April-May onwards last year came as a concern for the security agencies.
According to official data, Doda, Kathua and Reasi districts recorded nine killings each followed by Kishtwar (five), Udhampur (four), Jammu and Rajouri (three each) and Poonch (two) in 2024. Those killed included 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists.