Will not allow anyone to disrupt during J&K polls: IGP Kashmir
Huge quantity of ammunition, arms recovered: Army
Srinagar, Sep 14: Three unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter that began Friday night after a joint team of security forces cordoned off Chak-e-Tapper village in North Kashmir’s Kreeri area.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone, Vidhi Kumar Birdi, said that the operation was launched by the J&K Police, the Army’s 29 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the village. The area’s rugged and remote topography posed challenges to the operation.
“It is premature to link the incident with any specific terrorist infiltration; investigations are ongoing,” IGP Birdi said. He emphasized that security forces are on high alert to prevent any attempts by anti-national elements to disrupt the upcoming Assembly elections in J&K. “We are committed to thwarting any designs by terrorists to interfere with the elections,” he added.
He said that the topography of the area is wild and rugged, and is distanced from a populated area. It is premature at this point of time to connect anything with the penetration of terrorists into the area. It is a matter of investigation, and things will be cleared afterwards, the officer said.
Addressing the joint presser of Army and Police at 10 Sec Headquarters at Haiderbeigh, Army officials said that they have recovered a huge quantity of arms, ammunition at the encounter site.
Brigadier Sanjay Kannoth, VSM said that J&K Police, SOG, SSB were mobilized on Friday late evening. When our parties went to establish the cordon, terrorists hiding inside the building opened fire indiscriminately.
“Terrorist continued firing the entire night and it was also effectively countered. The operation was halted because of darkness and resumed on Saturday early morning. Three terrorists were killed, who were hiding near a school building,” he said.
Brigadier Sanjay said large quantities of war-like stores were recovered including rifles. The identity of three terrorists is yet to be ascertained,” he said.
“Keeping in mind the forthcoming events in UT, it is a major success to security forces in the region and major disruption to terror designs of neighbouring country,” he said.
Brigadier Sanjay further said that Chinar Corps along with police and other forces are committed to maintaining peace in the area.
Army Spokesman said that three terrorists have been neutralised by the security forces in the ongoing Operation. Weapons and war-like stores have been recovered.
“The Chinarcorps has dealt some crippling blows to the terror network in North Kashmir over the past few days with significant recoveries and elimination of terrorists, inspiring confidence and assurance for upcoming events scheduled in the region,” he said.
Anti-terror operations intensified in various parts of Jammu
Jammu, Sept 14 : Security forces intensified their anti-terror 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 terrorists 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 terrorists, who fled the scene after the encounter taking advantage of darkness and the dense foliage. There has been no fresh contact with the terrorists 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 terrorists 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.
