Search operation to track down terrorists continues in Kishtwar

Security forces on Monday resumed a search operation to track down a group of terrorists hiding in a dense forest in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

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The joint operation by the police and the Army was launched on Sunday afternoon in Khankoo forest in Cherji area between Dachhan and Nagseni, they said.

It triggered a brief encounter with the terrorists believed to be affiliated with the proscribed Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and included two top-ranking ultras carrying a reward of Rs 30 lakhs each, officials said.

After the gunfight, reinforcements were rushed to the scene and a massive search operation was launched to neutralise the fleeing terrorists, officials said, adding that the operation was called off late Sunday.

It resumed on Monday morning with security forces deploying drones and sniffer dogs to relentlessly chase the trail to hunt down the terrorists, they said.

The officials said security forces have already plugged the escape routes and expanded the operation to nearby areas, but thick foliage and challenging topography pose a challenge to the search parties.