Two terrorists affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were gunned down by security forces on Wednesday in a gunfight on the Udhampur-Kathua border in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The development comes just days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election rally in Doda.
“Two Terrorists Neutralised in the Ongoing Operation at Khandara #Kathua by Troops of Rising Star Corps. Operations in progress" said the Rising Star Corps of the Indian Army in a post on X.
The security forces recovered an AK-47 assault rifle, a US-made M4 carbine, a pistol, magazines, a machete, a mobile phone, tarpaulin, and other warlike stores from the site of the encounter.
One more terrorist is believed to be trapped in the Khandara top area and efforts are on to neutralise him, said the officials, reported PTI.
More reinforcements were sent and the operation was extended to adjacent Kadwah and Raichak, the officials said. The operation was jointly launched by the Army and police in the early hours of Wednesday and the first contact with the terrorists was made at around 12:50 pm leading to a fierce gunfight.
The area has witnessed over half-a-dozen encounters in the past six months with Wednesday's encounter being the first successful operation against the terrorists in the dense forest area. A village defence guard was killed in the forest area on April 28 and a CRPF inspector on August 19.
The incident comes amid the run-up to the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir which are taking place for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. PM Modi will be in the Union Territory on Saturday where he will hold a campaign rally.