One terrorist gunned down in Uri in fresh encounter as operation enters day 4
The encounter occurred in Hatlanga village, the last village on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector in the Baramulla district. The officials said that there was a possibility that a fresh group of infiltrators were intercepted by the army
One more terrorist was killed on Saturday morning in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri sector as the security forces continued their counter-terror operation to hunt down terrorists who killed two army officers and a Jammu and Kashmir deputy superintendent of police in Anantnag early Wednesday, officials said.
The security forces intensified their manhunt on the fourth day to flush out militants in Kokernag forests as the encounter began in the Hathlanga forward area of Uri on Saturday morning.
Hatlanga village is the last village on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector in the Baramulla district. The officials said that there was a possibility that a fresh group of infiltrators were intercepted by the army.
“Encounter has started between #terrorists and Army & Baramulla Police in forward area of #Uri, Hathlanga in #Baramulla district. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice,” Police wrote on X (formerly Twitter) as it confirmed the killing of one terrorist in the encounter and said the operation is underway.
On Saturday morning fresh firing was reported near the spot which had been encircled by the army and police.
A senior officer privy to details said, “The (militants’) hideout is being targeted by using RPGs, grenades and round-the-clock surveillance through drones and quadcopters.”
Moreover, drones have been pressed into service to pinpoint the location of terrorists who have taken positions in the forest area on a hilly terrain in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, according to officials.
On Friday one more soldier succumbed to injuries taking the toll to four. The army is yet to confirm the death of the fourth personnel in the operation.
The soldier, a radio operator, was reported unaccounted for on Thursday, the officials said, asking not to be named, even as the operation continued without a breakthrough. Two other injured soldiers are recovering at the army’s base hospital in Srinagar; one of them has a gunshot wound in the leg while the other was injured after a fall, HT has learnt.
Colonel Manpreet Singh, the commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Aashish Dhonchak, from the same battalion, and DSP Humayun Muzamil Bhat were killed on Wednesday. They were leading teams that were hunting for the terrorists in the treacherous terrain and were fired upon from concealed positions while climbing a steep slope.
The counter-terror squads of the army and the J&K Police on Friday cast a wide net for the elusive Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists holed up in the Garol forest, closed in on their suspected hideout and brought it under heavy automatic fire.
The army and police had launched a joint operation on Tuesday night after receiving intelligence about terrorist movement and their likely hideout in the forested area.
