Amid an intense election campaign in the Union Territory for the Assembly elections, Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a spike in terror incidents during the last week in different parts.
During the last 36 hours, four encounters took place in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir in which three terrorists were neutralized and two soldiers of the Army lost their lives in the line of duty.
While the security forces have intensified anti-terror operations to frustrate evil designs of Pakistan-based terror mentors to sabotage elections, terrorists are also making desperate attempts to sneak into this part through the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB).
Encounter in Poonch on Sunday morning
An encounter broke out in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's border district of Poonch when security forces launched a cordon and search operation following information about the presence of terrorists.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint search operation was launched by the police and Army in the Pathanateer area near Gursai top in the Mendhar sub-division.
Reports said that the search party came under fire from the hiding terrorists, triggering a gunfight.
An intermittent exchange of fire is on between both sides and reinforcements were rushed to the area and further details are awaited.
In another incident on Saturday, an infiltration bid was foiled in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
A Junior Commissioned Officer was injured as an infiltration bid was foiled by security forces in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district on Saturday.
Officials said that there was an exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces after infiltration was foiled near the R Dhara Gocher area.
In the firefight, one JCO received a bullet wound in lef shoulder and was immediately evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Anti-terror operations intensified in J&K
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have escalated their counter-terrorism efforts in several districts, including Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur, Poonch, and Rajouri, following recent encounters that resulted in the loss of two soldiers and the killing of four terrorists.
During the last one week, as many as seven terrorists were neutralized in Kathua, Nowshera and Baramulla areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Kishtwar's Chhatroo belt, a joint operation entered its third day in the forests of Pingnal Dugadda, where reinforcements have joined the search parties to track down the terrorists responsible for killing two Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), and injuring two others in a gunfight on Friday.
The operation involves a massive cordon of the area, with security forces utilizing drones and modern equipment to locate the terrorists, who escaped into the dense foliage under cover of darkness. So far, there has been no fresh contact with the terrorists.
In addition to the Kishtwar operation, a massive search is also underway in Udhampur's Basantgarh area, where two Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were killed on September 11. Security forces are also conducting searches in the forest areas of Surankote in Poonch and Nowshera and Thanamandi in Rajouri district.
These intensified efforts aim to neutralize terrorist activities in the region and bring those responsible to justice.
Similarly, security has been intensified on the Line of Control in the Nowshera area where two infiltrators were neutralized on September 9.
