Two policemen and an army jawan have been injured in a gunbattle between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch. A jailed Pakistani terrorist, who was brought to the forest for identification of the terrorist hideout, was also injured in the cross-firing, officials said, adding that he could not be taken out from the site due to heavy fire.
“Detenue Zia Mustafa, a Pakistani terrorist of LeT was taken to Bhatadurian for identification of terrorist hideout during the ongoing operation in which three army jawans and a JCO were martyred. During the search when the team approached the hideout, terrorists again opened fire on the joint team of police and army personnel in which two policemen and an army jawan sustained injuries.
“Zia Mustafa also sustained injuries and he could not be extracted from the site due to heavy fire. Injured personnel are under treatment at the nearby health facility. A fresh attempt will be made with reinforcements. Operation at the site is still going on,” officials said.
The fresh gunbattle in Poonch – where the anti-terror operation entered its 14th day today – started after terrorists opened fire on a joint search party of the army and police inside a forest.
Despite inclement weather, the counter-insurgency operation continued on Saturday in the forest belt of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Rajouri districts where nine army personnel were killed in two separate attacks by hiding terrorists last week, officials said.
Higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, including Peer Ki Gali along Poonch-Shopian road, experienced first moderate snowfall, while the plains were lashed by heavy rains since Friday night, resulting in appreciable drop in the day temperature. The officials said strict surveillance is being maintained by the security forces on the suspected locations, using hi-tech drones.
Two suspected improvised explosive devices were destroyed by the army search parties in Bhatta Durrian forest of Mendhar, where the locals were asked not to venture out of their homes on Tuesday as a safety measure with the troops advancing into the dense forest. The operation in the forest areas in the twin border districts commenced on October 11 when terrorists ambushed a search party killing five soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), in Surankote forest of Poonch before another gunfight in nearby Thanamandi on the same day.
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