Yogesh
Jammu, Feb 4: Three terrorists were killed in twin encounters in Udhampur and Kishtwar districts on Wednesday, officials and reports said
An official said that three terrorists, believed to be affiliated with the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, were killed in Jophar area of Udhampur and Dichhar area of Kishtwar.
He said the encounter in Jophar broke out around 4 pm on Tuesday, following specific intelligence inputs, and additional reinforcements were rushed to the area to tighten the cordon. “The terrorist were eliminated in a fierce gunfight,” the official added.
The Army on Tuesday had written on X: “In an intelligence-based joint operation, contact has been established with the terrorists by the troops of CIF Delta, White Knight Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF at around 4 pm today in the general area of Basantgarh. Cordon has been established. Firefight is on. Operation is in progress.”
An official said, “The forces cordoned off the targeted area to prevent the escape of terrorists, while additional reinforcements were rushed to the spot soon after contact was established. Officials said the terrorists were holed up inside a cave and were later eliminated during the operation.”
“A large cache of arms and ammunition, including an M4 carbine and an AK-series assault rifle, was recovered from the neutralised terrorists,” he added.
In another post on X, the Army’s White Knight Corps said that based on specific intelligence provided by Jammu and Kashmir Police, troops of CIF Delta and White Knight Corps launched a focused counter-terror operation in the Jophar forest area of Basantgarh in coordination with JKP and CRPF, who reinforced the cordon to prevent any escape.
“Contact with the terrorists was established on Tuesday, and they were continuously engaged to stop them from breaking the cordon. Following a calibrated and coordinated response, two terrorists have been successfully neutralised,” the post read, adding that the operation demonstrated seamless inter-agency coordination, tactical precision and high levels of professionalism.
The Army further stated that the operation has concluded successfully, while the area remains under surveillance.
Meanwhile, a terrorist was killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and joint security forces in Kishtwar district on Wednesday, the Army said.
The White Knight Corps, in a post on X, said that contact was re-established with the hiding terrorists during a joint operation in the Dichhar area of Kishtwar.
“In the continuing search and elimination of terrorists in the Kishtwar region, where the hunt has already led to several contacts in dense forests and challenging terrain, contact was re-established with the terrorists on the run in the ongoing joint Operation Trashi-I by troops of CIF Delta, White Knight Corps, Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF at around 5:45 pm today in the general area of Dichhar, Kishtwar,” the post read.
It added, “One terrorist has been successfully neutralised. Operation is in progress.”
Figures available suggest that a total of four terrorists have been eliminated so far this year, as the security grip remains tight across Jammu and Kashmir. “One security personnel lost his life in an encounter in Kathua. Till today, four terrorists have been killed—Kathua: 1, Udhampur: 2, Kishtwar: 1 (ongoing encounter),” data reveals.
A police official said due to heightened vigilance and a tight security grid, no civilian has fallen victim to terror so far this year.
