The Indian Army has launched a massive search operation in the forest area between the borders of Rajouri and Poonch districts to eliminate terrorists, said officials.
“This morning, fresh encounter broke out between the terrorists and security forces in a forest near Pangai area in Rajouri. Thereafter, the contact was again lost with the terrorists but a massive search operation has been launched to eliminate them,” said a defence official.
Five soldiers, including a JCO, lost their lives when a group of heavily armed terrorists opened fire on an army search party in Chamrer forest close to Dera Ki Gali (DKG) in Surankote early on Monday.
After the initial encounter, terrorists fled to nearby Pangai forest which falls in the jurisdiction of Rajouri’s Thanamandi.
The gunfight between the two sides stopped on Monday evening after the terrorists took advantage of the dense forest and fled, the officials said, adding that the entire forest belt was cordoned off and a search operation was underway to neutralise the hiding terrorists.
The officials said senior police and army officers also rushed to the area to supervise the operation.
Earlier, a defence spokesman said on the intervening night of October 10 and 11, a counterterrorist operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the area of Shahdara, near the boundary of Poonch-Rajouri districts.
The districts of Rajouri and Poonch, south of Pir Panjal, have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year, resulting in the killing of nine terrorists in separate encounters.
{{/usCountry}}The districts of Rajouri and Poonch, south of Pir Panjal, have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year, resulting in the killing of nine terrorists in separate encounters.
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