The encounter started around 8 am on Thursday amid intensified operations led by Jammu and Kashmir Police against a recently infiltrated group of ultras believed to be members of Pakistan-based JeM outfit.
Security forces on Friday resumed an anti-terrorist operation in a remote forested area in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, a day after three terrorists and an equal number of policemen were killed in an encounter there, officials said. The body of another policeman was sighted using a drone on Friday near the spot where a gunfight took place.
The encounter started around 8 am on Thursday amid intensified operations led by Jammu and Kashmir Police against a recently infiltrated group of ultras believed to be members of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, the officials said.
However, it was not immediately clear whether it was the same group that had been evading an earlier cordon in Sanyal forest of Kathua region or another batch of infiltrated terrorists.
The gunfight triggered intense firing and explosions, the officials said, as dozens of local youth were seen assisting the security forces to carry heavy weapons and ammunition deep inside a gorge.
The encounter, centred near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh, involved a group of approximately five terrorists and an initial exchange of gunfire resulted in injuries to six policemen including the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) leading a search party, the officials said.
They said that three terrorists were killed in the onslaught led by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and assisted by the Army and CRPF.
Adding to the tension, five police personnel, including the SDPO, were reportedly trapped near the gunfight’s location, adjacent to a rivulet concealed by dense foliage.
However, the SDPO — a DSP rank officer — was evacuated from the scene late this evening, while three of his personal security officers were found dead, official sources said, adding the fate of another missing policeman was not known immediately.
The J&K Police has neither confirmed nor denied the death of the policemen, saying a clear picture will emerge once the parties reach the scene on Friday morning.
The bodies of the terrorists were also not retrieved so far as security forces halted the operation for the night, the officials said.
Besides the SDPO, two more policemen were admitted in Kathua hospital and their condition was stated to be “stable”. Two army personnel were also injured and shifted to military hospital.
Special troops of Army were airdropped at the scene of the encounter in the evening to further strengthen the cordon around the area, the officials said, adding bodies of two terrorists were noticed by drones and would be retrieved on Friday morning.
It may be mentioned that a group of terrorists were intercepted by the SOG in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Sunday evening.
The terrorists were moving through the forest area when a police party headed by a SDPO moved in after getting specific information, the officials said, adding they came under heavy firing resulting in the gunfight. Reinforcements from the police, Army, and CRPF were immediately deployed in the area.
