Security forces personnel during an encounter with militants in Hadipora, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Srinagar, two unidentified terrorists were killed while two security personnel sustained injuries in an encounter that broke out in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Wednesday.
Officials said the encounter started after security forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Watergam village of Baramulla on Wednesday morning following "specific information" about the presence of militants in the area.
The search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding terrorists started to open fire on the search party of the forces, they said. Two terrorists, whose identification and group affiliation weren’t known immediately, were killed in the gun battle.
A policeman cop and an army jawan were also injured in the initial exchange of firing with the terrorists, police said.
The encounter broke out before Modi's visit to Srinagar, where he will take part in the International Yoga Day celebrations on Friday. The visit will be Modi’s first to the Union Territory after taking the oath of office for the third time on June 9.
There has been a spurt in terror activities in the UT this month after months of relative calm. On June 9, a bus with pilgrims was attacked in the Reasi district of Jammu leaving nine people dead and 33 injured. The bus was on its way to the Shiv Khori cave temple when the terrorists opened fire, targeting the bus.
Two days later, a person was reportedly injured after terrorists opened fire in a village in the UT’s Kathua district, close to the border where one terrorist was also killed.
Five soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles and a special police officer (SPO) were injured on June 11 when the terrorists attacked a joint check post in the upper reaches of Chattergalla on the Bhaderwah-Pathankot road in the hilly Doda district.
On June 17, a local militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.