Army on Tuesday claimed to have killed all the three militants in Akhnoor area of Jammu district.
Taking on micro-blogging platform X, The Army's White Knight Corps wrote, "After round the clock surveillance throughout the night, an intense firefight unfolded today morning resulting in a significant victory for our forces.
Relentless operations and tactical excellence has led to the elimination of three terrorists.
The operation also saw the successful recovery of war-like stores, marking a critical step in maintaining security in the region.
Yesterday militants attacked an army vehicle (Ambulance) in Akhnoor, however no loss of life or injury was reported. Soon police and army launched a massive operation to nab the attackers.
In nearly more than 24 hours of operation, the security forces have eliminated all three hardcore terrorists in a fierce firefight close to the Line of Control in the Sunderbani sector of Akhnoor in Jammu.
“After round-the-clock surveillance throughout the night, an intense firefight unfolded today (Tuesday) morning, resulting in a significant victory for our forces,” the Army posted.
They further said that the relentless operations and tactical excellence have led to the elimination of three terrorists, adding, “The operation also saw the successful recovery of warlike stores, marking a critical step in maintaining security in the region.”
A group of terrorists early morning on Monday opened fire at an Army convoy targeting an ambulance near the Assan temple in Jogwan village along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Bhattal area of Khour, following which, following special forces, police and the Army launched operation ‘ASAN’.
Both of its occupants, including the driver, were unharmed in the attack.
As the troops retaliated, the attackers fled towards the forest area nearby and were later located inside a basement, and there was an exchange of fire and an encounter triggered.
One of the terrorists was neutralised on Monday, and his body, along with an AK assault rifle and several improvised explosive devices (IEDs), were recovered from the encounter site.
The Army’s expert dog ‘Phantom’ also made a supreme sacrifice in the operation.
“We salute the supreme sacrifice of our true hero—a valiant #IndianArmy Dog, #Phantom. As our troops were closing in on the trapped terrorists, #Phantom drew enemy fire, sustaining fatal injuries. His courage, loyalty, and dedication will never be forgotten,” the defence spokesman said.
The latest encounter in the Jammu region comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in Kashmir, where seven attacks have occurred in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 fatalities, including two soldiers, following which a high alert was already sounded for Jammu’s border districts, including Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Poonch, and Rajouri, after recent terror attacks.
On October 23, unidentified assailants fired on a group of labourers that included both locals and non-locals in Ganderbal. Two labourers died on the spot, and four others and the doctor succumbed to their injuries subsequently.
On October 25, two Indian Army soldiers and two porters were killed in a terrorist attack on a military truck carrying supplies near the Nagin area of Bota Pathri in Gulmarg.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, held a review meeting in Srinagar on the security situation and development aspects of all the districts of Kashmir Division.
He directed all concerned officials to take pre-emptive action in respect of terrorist threats and stressed that stringent action must be taken against those spreading anti-national propaganda, threatening public safety and law and order.
The Lieutenant Governor called for a zero-tolerance approach and greater vigilance and coordination between the security agencies to crush the terror ecosystem.