Twin encounters in Udhampur, Kishtwar forests

Srinagar, Apr 9: Around five terrorists have been trapped in two separate encounters currently underway in forest areas of Udhampur and Kishtwar districts. Joint teams of security forces launched the operations based on specific intelligence inputs, and the situation is tense as gunfights continue at both locations, officials said.
According to officials, three terrorists are believed to be holed up in the Jopher locality of Ramnagar area in Udhampur, while two others are trapped in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district.
SSP Udhampur Amod Ashok Nagpure told Rising Kashmir that an encounter broke out in Udhampur forests after terrorists opened fire on advancing security forces.
“Our teams launched a cordon and search operation in the dense forests of Jopher village based on reliable inputs. As we moved in, we came under fire from hiding terrorists. A fierce gunfight is ongoing,” he said.
SSP Nagpure further said that despite the difficult terrain and hostile conditions, the morale of our forces is high, and we are determined to neutralize the threat.
While the operation was underway in Udhampur, security forces simultaneously launched another encounter in Chatroo, Kishtwar, where 2 terrorists are believed to be trapped.
A police official said that an encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in Chatroo area of Kishtwar.
“The entire forest belt is still under tight security cordon to neutralise the terrorists. Area is mountainous and the forest is dense, making the operation difficult and dangerous. We have deployed additional companies to the nearby areas” he said.
The police official said it is the same group of terrorists that was roaming in the region. They have recently infiltrated. We are hopeful that we will succeed in eliminating the entire group of terrorists involved in this attack,” he said, adding that drones, and more troops have arrived in the area to track their movement.
Meanwhile, a high alert has been issued in the entire forest range and security has been tightened, with ‘Naka’ checking and rigorous vehicle inspections implemented across the region.
On March 23, a gunfight had erupted in Sanyal village of Kathua district—just 4 km from the international border with Pakistan. That operation later extended to Safiyan Jakhole village, where two terrorists were killed and four policemen lost their lives.
Following that incident, joint forces widened their “seek and destroy” mission into the higher reaches of Kathua and Rajouri districts. A brief exchange of fire also occurred in the Billawar area of Kathua during the operation.
In light of the recent uptick in terrorist activity, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level security review meeting in Srinagar on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, IB Director Tapan Deka, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar, Corps Commanders from across J&K, the Director General of Police, and senior officials of paramilitary forces.
During the session, Amit Shah issued firm directives to security agencies to completely eliminate terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir and restore lasting peace in the Union Territory.