Search ops in 6 Jammu districts intensified to track down hiding terrorists

JAMMU: Security forces on Friday intensified search operations to track down terrorists believed to be hiding in forest areas, with multi-layered cordon in six districts of Jammu division — Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Kishtwar and Kathua.

Meanwhile, the Army paid tributes to Havildar Jhantu Ali Sheikh of 6 Para of the Special Forces, who was killed in a gunfight with terrorists in Dudu-Basantgarh area of Udhampur on Thursday. The joint search operation by the Army, J&K Police and CRPF to track down three terrorists, who managed to escape during the firefight, continued on the second day on Friday, said an official.

Sources said combing operations were also underway in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar, Triyath area of Rajouri district, adjoining areas of Chan Roriyan in Kathua district and Lasana in Poonch district. A security review meeting chaired by divisional commissioner Ramesh Kumar and IGP Bhim Sen Tuti was held in Doda.

There have been seven encounters in the Kathua-Udhampur-Kishtwar region of Jammu over the past month, resulting in the death of five terrorists and as many security personnel.

On April 20, the security forces had mounted a search operation after getting information about the movement of three suspicious persons near a forest area in Rasana in Kathua district.

The forces have also intensified their efforts to sanitise the Kathua-Samba region and nab the terrorists who had initially fled during an encounter in Safiyan on March 23.

In the Chatroo forest area of Kishtwar, three terrorists were killed during an encounter on April 11-12, and a huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered, but the search operation continues as more terror operatives are suspected to be hiding in the area.