J&K: 3 soldiers injured in Rajouri encounter amid joint operation to flush out militants

By around 9 pm on Monday, the militants, looking to take advantage of the darkness in the dense forest, opened fire in an indiscriminate manner to try and break through the security forces’ corden, officials said. Eventually, three security personnel who had formed the first rung of the cordon sustained bullet injuries and were evacuated to hospital. Their condition is said to be stable.

According to officials, the operation is ongoing and security forces have moved deeper into the forest, using drones and speculative firing to avoid chances of an ambush.

The area where the operation is taking place falls on Rajouri district’s border with Reasi district, and had been used as a major route by militants in the early 2000s for crossing the LoC from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir into the Kashmir Valley and the Chenab Valley region. Over the past year, the area has again started witnessing movement of militants.

In the last nine months, the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch have witnessed the killing of 18 people, including 11 soldiers. Security forces have killed more than half a dozen militants in the past three months.

Just last month, two foreign militants were killed in the nearby Narla area of Kalakote. A member of the security forces was also killed in that encounter. This came after four militants were killed in Poonch.

Following these two encounters, there has been an increase in information about the movement of militants in the area, a senior police officer said. In response, the counter insurgency grid has been strengthened, and there has been improvement in the coordination between different agencies as well as cooperation from the local populace, the officer added.

An officer said that according to intelligence inputs, there were nearly 200 militants camping at launching pads across the border, waiting for an opportunity to cross over. The officer said that operations were being carried out relentlessly to neutralise any militant who manages to cross the border.

My Express

Veteran actor says Anubhav Sinha, Rajkumar Hirani made promises, never gave him work: ‘Bollywood wants darbaris, not actors’

Kalamkaval Movie Review, Collection Live Updates: Fans praise Mammootty’s performance; film earns over Rs 2 cr

RBI Monetary Policy Meeting LIVE: RBI cuts repo rate by 25 bps to 5.25%, revises GDP growth forecast