Fresh Encounter Breaks Out Between Security Forces, Terrorists in J-K’s Kathua; Poonch Gunfight Over

Jammu: A fresh encounter broke out on Sunday between police and terrorists in a forest area in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. While an overnight gunfight in Poonch district ended with one terrorist believed to have suffered injuries, officials said.

A police search party came under fire from terrorists at the remote Nuknali Nalla in the Bani area of Kathua district late this afternoon, officials reported. The police returned fire, leading to an ongoing exchange of gunfire between the two sides.

Reinforcements have been deployed to secure escape routes and assist in neutralising the terrorists, according to officials.

In Poonch, an overnight encounter in the Pathanateer area near Gursai Top in Mendhar sub-division concluded around noon. Blood stains found at the gunfight scene indicate that one of the terrorists may have been injured. The area remains under a security cordon, and a search operation is underway to locate the fleeing militants.

The confrontation began Saturday evening following a tip-off about the presence of two to three terrorists. A joint search operation by the police and Army was initiated, which escalated into a gunfight when the search party was ambushed by the terrorists. The intermittent exchange of fire continued until this afternoon.

(With PTI inputs)