Three policemen have been killed and two injured in a gunfight that broke out in the Kathua forests when the forces made contact with hiding militants after a gruelling four-day-long search in the vast mountainous belt.
Sources said the dead personnel were Tariq Ahmad from Reasi district and Jaswant Singh and Balwinder Singh from Kathua district. Deputy superintendent of police Dheeraj Katoch and an army soldier have been injured.
Unconfirmed reports said that the militants had also suffered casualties in the gunfight that broke out at a time when Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced “another great news” from Kashmir after two more separatist groups in the Valley purportedly discarded separatism.
Security forces had launched the operation in Sanyal village of Kathua on Sunday evening after locals spotted a group of heavily armed militants in the area.
Kathua BJP MLA Bharat Bhushan said Thursday’s gunfight took place in Jakhole village in Ghai Juthana of Rajbagh, 60km from the place of Sunday’s encounter. He suspected that the same group of militants could be involved in both areas.
Some reports said the security forces faced a tough time evacuating two injured men because of intense firing by the militants. They were later airlifted to Jammu. Jammu and Kashmir director-general of police Nalin Prabhat has been personally monitoring the operation and was seen wielding an AK-47 rifle on Tuesday to join the hunt for the militants.
Hundreds of security personnel have been busy combing a vast forest area to prevent militants from fleeing. Officials said that the militants surprised the forces in the early hours and resorted to heavy firing on a party led by Katoch.
The army, police, National Security Guard commandos, Border Security Forces and Central Reserve Paramilitary Forces are part of the operation.
Security forces are using choppers, drones and UAVs to track the militants, who have been taking advantage of the thick foliage to evade detection.
The gunfight in Kathua comes against the backdrop of the death of five civilians in the past few weeks, with locals pointing fingers at militants.