Three J&K policemen, 3 Pak-origin militants killed in Kathua gunfight

Three Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel and three militants were killed while three security men were injured in an encounter in a thick forest near Jakhole village of Ghati Juthana in J&K’s Kathua district on Thursday.

The security forces, including the Army, launched a combing operation after being alerted by villagers about suspicious movement in the area, said officials.

Sources said the hiding terrorists, carrying sophisticated weapons and learnt to be highly trained and of Pakistani origin, fired indiscriminately at the security personnel, injuring five of them, including Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dheeraj Katoch. Katoch and three other police personnel were the first to reach the area and came under heavy fire from the militants. During the encounter, a head constable and two constables were killed, said sources.

No official statement was released by the police till the filing of this report. The injured included a jawan of Special Forces of the Army and two policemen.

Sources in the Military Intelligence said the militants were most likely the same group that was involved in an encounter at Sanyal village of Hiranagar in Kathau on Sunday. “The militants were probably trying to reach the higher reaches so as to escape to other areas. However, they were spotted by the locals, who alerted the security forces,” the sources said.

Even on Tuesday, a woman had spotted two suspects in Army fatigue in Ding Amb belt, after which the police were alerted.

The Ghati Juthana area is nearly 35 km from the International Border with Pakistan in Kathua from where the terrorists are believed to have infiltrated.

The Army is learnt to be using UAVs, sniffer dogs and other technical assistance to trace the militants, who have been frequently changing positions.