3 policemen killed in militant encounter in J&K’s Kathua

Nearly half a dozen militants, who are believed to be a fresh group having crossed the international border from Pakistan side, were first spotted by a local couple in the forests at Saniyal village near the international border on Sunday evening.

A group of nearly half a dozen militants were first spotted by a local couple, Ganesh and his wife Jyoti, who were collecting firewood. As the village is situated near the International Border, the militants are believed to be a fresh group that has come from across the border.

For the last five days, security forces and the police, headed by J&K’s Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, have been continuously conducting massive combing and search operations in various areas of the Hiranagar sector.

Security personnel at the site of an encounter with militants in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. (PTI)

Pointing out that seven people have been taken into custody for questioning, sources said that they have been suspected of providing logistics to the militants. Six of them have been identified as Shakeel, Feroz, Ali, Fareed, Rafaqat and Bashir. They have a record of allegedly helping militants cross the International Border, sources said, adding that some of them were picked up for questioning in 2024 as well.

On Tuesday, the police and security forces had expanded their search area. The search parties, while combing the forests, were moving towards the International Border with Pakistan, nearly five kilometres away from Saniyal village, as well as towards the side of the Jammu-Pathankote national highway.

From today’s encounter site which is nearly 30 kms away from Saniyal village where they were first spotted, it appears that the militants, after crossing the highway, were proceeding towards Udhampur or Doda through Kathua’s Ghati area.

The search parties on Tuesday recovered two grenades and some empty shells of M4 ammunition from the forests. On Monday, they had found several magazines of M4 carbine, a bulletproof jacket and other material left behind by the absconding militants.

Sources said that the security forces and the police were taking time to conclude the operation as the militants were hiding in dense forests with dense foliage on ground.