Jammu: 

The gunfight erupted when the security forces spotted the terrorists in Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh this morning. The officials said reinforcements have been rushed and further details are awaited. The terrorists are believed to be the same group which escaped after an encounter in the Hiranagar sector of the district last Sunday (March 23) evening.

A fresh encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces on Thursday in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, where a massive anti-terrorist operation was underway for the last four days, officials said.

In that encounter, security forces confronted the group of terrorists who were hiding in a dense nursery after infiltrating from across the border. While firing between the two sides lasted for over half an hour, the terrorists managed to slip away, leading to a massive search operation in the entire belt since then.

Inputs then suggested that there are at least two groups of 5-6 terrorists who managed to infiltrate on March 22. On March 23, officials said some village women collecting firewood reported seeing around five terrorists who had sought refuge in the expansive nursery area in Sanyal village, approximately five kilometres from the International Border with Pakistan.

When a police team from the Special Operations Group initiated a search operation after receiving the input, they came under heavy fire from the terrorists, leading to a gunfight.

The border district of Kathua has lately become a terrorist hotspot, emerging as a major infiltrating route for Pakistan-based terrorists. From here, the terrorists move to higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts and further to Kashmir, evident from a series of terror incidents in the last one year.

A total of 44 people, including 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists, have been killed in a series of attacks and encounters in the Jammu region in 2024. According to official data, Doda, Kathua and Reasi districts recorded nine killings each, followed by Kishtwar (five), Udhampur (four), Jammu and Rajouri (three each), and Poonch (two) in 2024.

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