Forces launch massive search in J&K’s Rajouri to nab terrorists who fired at security personnel

“Exchange of fire took place between terrorists and SOG team in Beeranthub area, PS Kandi, Rajouri. Joint parties…cordoned off the area,” the IGP said in a post on X.

The police said that the J&K Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) had launched searches in the forests after receiving specific information about the presence of terrorists in the area, which is inhabited by nomads, on Tuesday evening. Around 7.15 pm – 7.20 pm, some terrorists hiding in the forests opened fire, officers said, adding that the SOG team retaliated, causing the terrorists to flee deep inside the forests.

Meanwhile, security forces and the police also launched a joint search operation in the Dharni Top area of Basantgarh in Udhampur district after local residents reported sighting some terrorists in the area on Tuesday evening, sources said. However, no contact has been established with terrorists so far, they added.

Though there had been reports of terrorist movement in the Kandi area for a while, it is after a long time that the forces came into contact with terrorists in the region.

Following reports about increased infiltration attempts from across the Line of Control (LoC) and a rise in activities by terrorists, the police and security forces have heightened vigil in Rajouri and Poonch districts along the border since 2021.