At least four terrorists were killed and a soldier martyred in two separate encounters in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials reported. The encounters took place in the Frisal Chinnigam area and Modergam village of the district. According to officials, contact with the terrorists was established during a cordon and search operation in the Frisal Chinnigam area.
The jawan was injured in the shootout and was taken to the hospital, where he breathed his last. Kashmir Zone Police informed that the contact established was at the Frisal Chinnigam area in Kulgam district.
In the ensuing exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed. "Drone footage of the encounter site has shown four bodies lying there, but they could not be retrieved yet as firing is still ongoing," an official stated, as per news agency PTI.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, V K Birdhi, visited the encounter site and confirmed that the operation is ongoing. "Some bodies (of terrorists) have been sighted, but the encounter has not concluded yet," he told reporters, as quoted by PTI. Birdhi added that the site of the encounter is in the interior areas of the district, not near the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
He emphasised the importance of this operation, stating, "The J-K Police and security forces continue to keep track of the movement of terrorists, and the killing of these terrorists is a significant achievement for the security forces."
Earlier in the day, a gunfight erupted in Modergam village after security forces launched a cordon and search operation based on specific inputs about the presence of terrorists. An army soldier sustained fatal injuries in this exchange of fire.
Search Operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathura After Suspicion of Cross-Border Tunnel
In another incident, security personnel initiated a search operation on Friday after a farmer in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district suspected the presence of a cross-border tunnel beneath his agricultural land, officials reported. The Border Security Force (BSF) troops, along with local police, began excavating the area to determine the existence of the tunnel.
The incident occurred in Thangli village, situated in the Hiranagar belt, PTI reported. A local farmer noticed that water directed to his farmland was disappearing into a small trench, leading him to suspect a potential cross-border tunnel. He promptly alerted the police and BSF, who arrived at the scene with a bulldozer to conduct thorough digging operations.
Despite extensive efforts, no tunnel has been found so far. "We are continuing the search as the farmland is merely 500 metres from the international border," the farmer informed reporters at the site, as per PTI. He recounted a similar incident from two years ago when a drone dropped a consignment containing seven sticky bombs and other materials in the same area.
The farmer also mentioned a bore well located at the spot, speculating that it might have collapsed, causing the water to drain into it. The search operation remains ongoing as authorities investigate the possibility of a cross-border tunnel.