Encounters erupt in Kishtwar, Udhampur; terrorists trapped

A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah concluded his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, two encounters between security forces and terrorists began in the mountainous areas of Udhampur and Kishtwar districts.

Both encounters commenced on Wednesday following human intelligence inputs provided by locals to the J&K Police and the Army.

An Udhampur police official reported that during a search operation in Jopher village, at least two to three terrorists were trapped when a gunfight broke out. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Ramnagar police station.

In Kishtwar, the encounter began in the forest area of Naidgam in Chatroo when security forces launched a search operation based on intelligence inputs about the presence of three terrorists.

According to information, both groups of terrorists belong to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit and are believed to have recently infiltrated from Pakistan. It is learned that the groups are highly trained and equipped with sophisticated weapons, including AK-series rifles.

It is believed the terrorists were hiding in forested areas in both districts. Security forces have intensified search operations in recent weeks, during which three encounters have already taken place in the Kathua district.

Security forces defuse IED in Kupwara

The security forces on Wednesday averted a tragedy by detecting and defusing an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 8 kg in Kupwara district. During a routine patrol in the Hafroda forest area of Handwara in the north Kashmir district, the security forces found a suspicious object on the roadside, the officials said. A closer inspection revealed that the suspicious object was an IED. The area was cordoned off and a bomb disposal squad called to the spot, they said. The squad later destroyed the IED without causing any damage, the officials added.