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4 terrorists killed in Jammu gunbattle
The firefight was triggered months after a purported attempt to carry out a suicide attack near Sunjuwan military station in Jammu was foiled with the killing of two terrorists in April
Four terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces at Sidhra near Jammu on Wednesday morning amid high alert in the region ahead of the Republic Day celebrations next month, a police officer said.
Additional director general of police Mukesh Singh said the gunbattle was triggered around 7.30am amid low visibility because of fog. He added seven AK-47 rifles and three pistols were recovered from the scene.
Singh said the firefight was triggered after a Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Police observed unusual movement of the truck in Sidhra. “The QRT stopped the truck at Sidhra check post where its driver on the pretext of attending nature’s call fled. Searches have been launched to nab the driver.”
Singh said the truck owner is yet to be identified. He added when the police team started checking the truck, it was fired upon by the terrorists hiding inside. “Additional reinforcements were rushed to the area as the gunfight began.”
Singh said the truck was loaded with fodder and a cavity was made inside for the terrorists to hide. He added it would be too premature to pinpoint the affiliation of the terrorists. “But they were heavily armed and used heavy ammunition on security forces. We were on a high alert in view of the Republic Day.”
A resident said five to six grenade blasts preceded the exchange of fire along the Panjtirthi-Sidhra road. He added the scene is close to a bridge where a grenade blast took place recently.
The road connects Panjtirthi and Sidhra with the old city, where the lieutenant governor’s residence is located. The other end of the road leads to Nagrota, the headquarters of the Army’s 16 Corps.
J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh said they have been involved in area domination along highways and border areas in view of Republic Day. He earlier said terrorists try to sneak into the Jammu region during winter often taking advantage of reduced visibility due to foggy conditions.
The firefight was triggered hours before Union home minister Amit Shah was scheduled to hold two meetings on Ladakh and J&K. News agency ANI reported lieutenant governors of the two Union Territories were expected to attend the meetings, where security-related matters were among the issues likely to be discussed.
In April, a purported attempt to carry out a suicide attack near Jammu’s Sunjuwan military station was foiled with the killing of two terrorists. An assistant sub-inspector of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was also killed while 10 security personnel were injured in the pre-dawn gunfight two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the region.
Days later, Modi visited Palli village of Samba on National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24. It was his first visit to the region since the nullification of the Constitution’s Article 370, which gave J&K semi-autonomous status.
The terrorists entered the outskirts of Jammu city in April from the international border in the R S Pura sector and were holed up in a locality close to the military camp. They were apparently moving towards the camp when they were spotted.
Around the same time, a CISF bus carrying 15 personnel at Jalalabad near the camp was proceeding towards the Jammu airport. The two terrorists lobbed a grenade towards the bus and sprayed it with bullets.
