Srinagar: Security forces and terrorists engaged in two brief exchanges of fire within a span of a few hours in the forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, officials said on Wednesday.
This follows a deadly terrorist attack that claimed the lives of four soldiers, including an officer.
Officials reported that a team of 13 Army personnel on Monday night launched operations in Dessa forests, about 30 kilometers from Doda district headquarters, after receiving specific information about the presence of a group of four Pakistani terrorists in the area.
The army team, led by Captain Brijesh Thapa, came into contact with the terrorists, resulting in a brief gun battle. The terrorists then fled deep into the forest area. As the team pursued them, a fierce exchange of fire ensued.
The terrorists had reportedly taken advantageous positions behind rocks in the dense forest cover and fired upon the army team, killing four soldiers, including Captain Thapa.
The attack was carried out by heavily armed terrorists from the Pakistan-based banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The Kashmir Tigers, a JeM shadow group, claimed responsibility for the assault, marking the third major terror incident in the Jammu region in the past three weeks.
In response, the army launched an extensive search operation in the Dessa forest belt to hunt down the terrorists. Para Commandos of Special Forces have joined the operations, while helicopters and drones have been deployed to trace the terrorists who have fled deep into the forests after the encounter.
Following the Dessa attack, Village Defence Guards (VDGs) fired upon noticing suspicious movement near Melan village. The initial exchange of fire was reported at Kalaan Bhata at 10:45 PM on Tuesday, followed by another near Panchan Bhata at 2 AM Wednesday morning, during the ongoing anti-terrorist operation in the Dessa forest area.
While no casualties were reported in these latest exchanges, the terrorists managed to evade capture by exploiting the darkness, challenging terrain, and thick foliage. Despite these difficulties, efforts to track and neutralize the terrorists, who are suspected to have infiltrated from across the border and taken refuge in the forest area, continue according to officials.