Anti-militancy operations intensified in various parts of Jammu

JAMMU: Security forces intensified their anti-militancy operations in parts of Kishtwar, Udhampur, Poonch and Rajouri districts on Saturday, following recent encounters in which two soldiers led down their lives and two militants were killed, officials said.

A joint operation in the forests of Pingnal Dugadda in the Chhatroo belt of Kishtwar district entered the second day, with reinforcements joining the search parties to hunt down the terrorists responsible for killing two Army personnel, including a JCO, and injuring two others in a gunfight the previous day, they said.

The officials said a vast area was kept under cordon with security forces utilising drones and other modern equipment to locate the militants, who fled the scene after the encounter taking advantage of darkness and the dense foliage.

There has been no fresh contact with the militants so far, they said.

A massive search operation is also underway in the upper reaches of Khandara Top, Kudwah and Raichak in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district where two militants of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were eliminated on September 11, the officials said.

They said security forces are also carrying out searches in the forest areas of Surankote in Poonch and Nowshera and Thanamandi in Rajouri district. (PTI)