SRINAGAR: An unidentified militant was killed in an ongoing encounter between security forces and militants in the Panjtirthi area of Kathua in the Jammu division, official sources said on Saturday.
Security forces engaged three militants in a fierce gun battle in the mountainous Panjtirthi area between Ghati and Billawar in Kathua district late on Monday night. The exchange of fire lasted for about 40 minutes before ceasing, officials said. The gunfight started again on Tuesday morning.
The militants were spotted while making their way towards the Billawar mountains, prompting security personnel to engage them. This marks the third gunfight in Kathua in the past nine days as security forces intensify their operations in the region.
Earlier in the day, security personnel, including the Army, NSG, Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP), Special Operations Group (SOG), and paramilitary forces, continued extensive search operations in the Ghati heights for the fifth consecutive day. The operation aims to track down three remaining militants from a group of five, two of whom were killed last Thursday. The encounter on March 27 had also led to the killing of four security personnel.
Security forces employed aerial surveillance and sniffer dogs while scouring the forests surrounding Rui village, where the militants were spotted the previous night. They reportedly escaped after obtaining food from a local woman.
In a separate operation, security forces launched a search in Samba sector, near the International Border. Intelligence reports indicated that three suspected militants had entered a house in Rui village, taken food from the kitchen, and disappeared into the forest.
A multi-tier operation is underway in the forested belts of Rui, Juthana, Ghati, Sanyal, and parts of Billawar, with joint teams also focusing on the Over Ground and underground networks of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit. Officials stated that militants find it difficult to sustain operations without a support network providing food, shelter, and escape routes.
Security forces have detained six individuals, including some women from the family of Mohammad Latief, a suspected Over Ground Worker (OGW) currently jailed under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for aiding militants. It is believed that one of the slain militants, Abu Tala, had taken shelter at Latief’s residence.
