New Delhi: Two terrorists were neutralised in an encounter that broke out between security forces and terrorists on the outskirts of Jammu in the Sunjwan area early Friday.
One security force personnel was killed and three more suffered injuries in the gunfight with terrorists taking place in a locality near an Army camp.
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Additional Director General of Police of Jammu Mukesh Singh informed that the encounter began when the police's Special Operations Group and the CRPF launched a joint search operation in the area, news agency PTI reported.
A total of nine security personnel, including two policemen, were injured and taken to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital, PTI reported officials as stating.
It was further informed that mobile internet services were suspended and schools closed for the day in the vicinity of the encounter site as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, two terrorists were killed while arms and ammunition have also been recovered from the spot.
"Till now two terrorists have been killed, two AK-47 rifles, arms, ammunition, satellite phones and some documents were recovered. It seems like they were 'Fidayeen' attackers. Operation is underway," Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu zone said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
The search operation was launched based on specific information about the presence of at least two heavily-armed terrorists, likely belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit, in a vicinity adjacent to the sprawling Sunjwan military station to carry out a major strike in the city, PTI reported officials as informing.
The terrorists hurled a grenade and opened fire on the search parties which triggered a gunfight, they said.
On February 10, 2018, three JeM terrorists stormed the Sunjwan Army camp leading to deaths of seven persons, including six soldiers in the subsequent gunfight. All three terrorists were also gunned down.
The encounter in Sunjwan comes two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Samba district, security arrangements have been heightened in the union territory in view of the same.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Pali village to address a gathering on National Panchayati Raj Day (April 24).
This will be Modi's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir other than the borders since the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state and its bifurcation in August 2019.
He had celebrated Diwali with Army jawans on October 27, 2019, in Rajouri and on November 3, 2021, in the Nowshera sector in the Jammu division.
(With Agency Inputs)