JAMMU: The anti-terror operation in Hiranagar sector of J&K’s Kathua district — to track down a group of terrorists who escaped a cordon after a brief fire exchange with security forces in Sanyal village — entered its third day on Tuesday, with joint teams intensifying searches across the district under the supervision of DGP Nalin Prabhat.
Additional reinforcements, elite commandos, NSG, drones, sniffer dogs and even choppers were pressed into service Tuesday morning to help comb the dense vegetation where the terrorists — believed to be infiltrators — were supposedly hiding.
As the forces moved deep inside the cordoned area, a barrage of gunfire was heard. Officials, however, called it speculative firing by the troops on noticing suspicious movement.
Earlier on Monday, security forces had recovered four loaded magazines of M4 Carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeper bags, tracksuits, shoes, eatable items and separate polythene bags containing mysterious material believed to be explosives.
On Sunday (March 23) morning, a local couple went to collect firewood in the forest near the Indo-Pak border and claimed to have spotted a group of five terrorists holed up inside a nursery. On being alerted, J&K Police’s SOG launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area, leading to a gunfight. A seven-year-old girl sustained injuries after getting caught in the crossfire. She was hospitalised and said to be stable.
Kathua has traditionally emerged as a major infiltration route for Pakistan-based terrorists to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir, which is evident from major terror incidents last year (2024) — including the killing of a JCO Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of Army’s 2 Para and injuries to three soldiers in a gunfight in Keshwan area of Kishtwar district on Nov 10.
Earlier instances
–November 7, 2024: 2 village defence guards from Ohli Kuntwara abducted, killed by unidentified terrorists. Bodies found blindfolded next day with hands tied behind
–September 13, 2024: 2 Army men killed, 2 more injured in encounter during search op in Naidgam in Kishtwar’s Chhatroo belt
–August 14, 2024: Army Captain, terrorist killed in anti-terror op in forests of Doda’s Shivgarh-Assar area
–July 16, 2024: Army officer, 4 other security personnel killed in encounter in Doda’s Desa forest area
–July 8, 2024: JCO among 5 Army personnel killed, 5 others injured after terrorists attacked military convoy in Kathua’s remote Machedi area
–June 11, 2024: 6 security personnel wounded after terrorists targeted jt Army & police post at Chattergalla, Doda
–June 12, 2024: CRPF jawan, 2 terrorists killed; civilian injured in gun battle at Kathua’s Hiranagar
–April 28, 2024: VDG killed in terror attack at Basantgarh in Udhampur district
