Intense Gunfight On After 3 Militants, 4 Policemen Killed In Kathua Encounter

Jammu: An intense exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists is underway in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Friday, a day after three terrorists and four policemen were killed while a deputy superintendent of police sustained bullet injury in a fierce encounter at a remote forest area of the district.

Security personnel engaged in anti-terrorist operations in the Suffain area of Kathua have cordoned off the area, and a search operation is underway, the Indian Army said. On Thursday, the encounter began around 8 am amid intensified operations led by the Jammu and Kashmir Police against a recently infiltrated group of ultras believed to be members of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, they said.

However, it was not immediately clear whether it was the same group that had been evading an earlier cordon in the Sanyal forest of the Kathua region or another batch of infiltrated terrorists. The gunfight triggered intense firing and explosions, the officials said, even as dozens of local youth were seen assisting the security forces in carrying heavy weapons and ammunition deep inside a gorge.

The encounter, centred near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, involved a group of approximately five terrorists. Adding to the tension, five police personnel, including the SDPO, were reportedly trapped near the gunfight's location, adjacent to a rivulet concealed by dense foliage.

However, the SDPO -- a DSP rank officer -- was evacuated from the scene late evening, while three of his personal security officers were found dead, official sources said, adding the fate of another missing policeman was not known immediately.

The bodies of the terrorists were also not retrieved so far as security forces halted the operation for the night, the officials said.

The operation resumed at first light of the day on Friday as two more terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area. They are also presumed dead, but their bodies could not be located by the drones, the officials said. Besides the SDPO, two more policemen were admitted to Kathua hospital, and their condition was stated to be 'stable.' Two army personnel were also injured and were taken to a military hospital.

Special troops of the Army were airdropped at the scene of the encounter in the evening to further strengthen the cordon around the area, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the People's Anti-Fascist Front, a proxy outfit of JeM, claimed responsibility for the firing on the police party. It may be mentioned that the SOG intercepted a group of terrorists in the Hiranagar sector of the Kathua district on Sunday evening.

In Sunday's encounter, security forces confronted the group of terrorists who were hiding in a dense nursery after infiltrating from across the border. While firing between the two sides lasted for over half an hour, the terrorists managed to slip away, leading to a massive search operation in the entire belt.

Inputs then suggested that at least 5-6 terrorists had managed to infiltrate on March 22. On March 23, officials said some village women collecting firewood reported seeing around five terrorists who had sought refuge in the expansive nursery area in Sanyal village, approximately five kilometres from the International Border with Pakistan.

When a police team from the Special Operations Group initiated a search operation after receiving the input, they came under heavy fire from the terrorists, leading to a gunfight.

After the terrorists managed to flee, the security forces extended the search operation, particularly in the routes leading to the Billawar forest and were successful in tracking down the terrorists, officials said.

On March 24, security forces found four loaded magazines of M4 carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, several packets of eatables, and separate polythene bags containing material for making Improvised Explosive Devices near the scene of the encounter in Hiranagar.

Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, was camping in Kathua and was seen leading the anti-terrorist operation along with Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti over the past four days.

The border district of Kathua has lately become a terrorist hotspot, emerging as a major infiltrating route for Pakistan-based terrorists. From here, the terrorists move to higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir, evident from a series of terror incidents in the last one year.

A total of 44 people, including 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists, have been killed in a series of attacks and encounters in the Jammu region in 2024. 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.