Two terrorists who had fired upon a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua late last night have been neutralized in an encounter. A paramilitary soldier also lost his life during the exchange of gunfire.
Two encounters that started overnight in Jammu continued into the morning. This included one in Doda, where five soldiers and a special police officer (SPO) were injured in an attack on an army post.
Just two days prior to these terror incidents in Jammu, a bus carrying pilgrims came under attack in Reasi and plummeted into a gorge, resulting in the deaths of nine passengers. Anand Jain, Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, who is overseeing the anti-terrorist operations in Kathua, provided details of the encounters earlier this morning.
Regarding the Doda incident, he stated that terrorists had fired at a joint team of police and Rashtriya Rifles at an army base in the Chattargala area late last night. An encounter is ongoing between the security forces and the terrorists in the higher reaches, he added.
Police reported that two terrorists were involved in the Kathua attack last evening, with one being killed last night. The second terrorist, armed with a US-made M4 carbine assault rifle, was holed up in the forested region and was eliminated this morning.
The terrorists had asked for water from several houses, arousing villagers’ suspicions, and opened fire when some villagers raised an alarm, the police said. One civilian was injured in the firing, clarified Mr. Jain, who denied reports that three people died in the Kathua attack.
“There are rumors that many people are injured and three are dead. But only one civilian was injured; all other information regarding hostages and deaths are rumors,” he said.
The security force member killed during the encounter belonged to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
ADGP Jain also referred to the Kathua attack as a “fresh infiltration” and alluded to Pakistan without directly naming the country. “It is our hostile neighbor who always tries to disrupt the peaceful environment in our country. This (Hiranagar Terror attack) seems to be a fresh infiltration,” he stated.
Jammu has been high on the terror radar with these attacks occurring in areas previously known to be free of terrorism.
Two days earlier, a bus en route to the Shiv Khori cave temple was attacked in Reasi. The terrorists opened fire after the bus driver refused to deboard the passengers, causing the bus to lose control and fall into the gorge, according to the bus company’s manager. Nine people were killed and 33 injured in the incident. The attack was orchestrated under the directions of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Hamza, officials said.
