Encounter breaks out near Indo-Pak border in Kathua, additional reinforcement rushed
Army, BSF and special operations group have been mobilised to the site of encounter. Director general of police Nalin Prabhat has also rushed to the site
An encounter broke out between security forces and a group of four to five terrorists, believed to be of Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit, in Sanyal area of Kathua district on Sunday evening, said people familiar with the development. Sanyal village is around 5 kms from Indo-Pak international border.
“A man identified as Ganesh Dass and his wife Anita had gone inside a forest near the village to collect wood. The couple was encountered by armed men wearing black coloured track suits. The couple somehow managed to flee from there and raised the alarm once they reached the village,” said Ram Lal Kalia, a village defence guard.
Later, Anita Devi said, “Me and my husband had gone inside the jungle to collect wood. There were five terrorists with backpacks and long beard. They held us hostage nut we somehow managed to flee.”
Army, BSF and special operations group have been mobilised to the site of encounter. Director general of police Nalin Prabhat has also rushed to the site.
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An intermittent exchange of fire was on between terrorists and security forces till the filing of the report.
“It appears to be a freshly infiltrated group of terrorists. The forest where the encounter has erupted is close to the international border,” said an intelligence official.
On March 12, a soldier was injured in Pakistan’s sniper fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kalsian area of Nowshera sector in Rajouri district. On February 21, India and Pakistan had held a brigadier level flag meeting at Poonch and agreed to hold the truce deal.
The Indian side had conveyed that though India wants peace on the borders but if Pakistan continued its mischievous activities, Indian Army reserved the right to retaliate.
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Two army personnel, including captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi, were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack carried out by suspected terrorists in the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu region on February 11.
Two army personnel were also injured in separate incidents of small arms firing from across the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on February 10 and 14, while two more army personnel were injured in separate landmine explosions in Poonch in first week of February.
On February 25, 2021, both the nuke countries had renewed mutually brokered truce deal following DGMO level talks.
On February 13, close on the heels of a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Bhimber Gali sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector, India had hit back strongly inflicting heavy losses to the Pakistan army in Krishna Ghati sector.
An intelligence official confided to HT that Pakistan has been trying to vitiate peace along the LoC by resorting to cross border firing, sniper fire and carrying out IED blasts with an aim to target Indian soldiers.
On February 10, General Officer Commanding of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, had reviewed “hostile activities” along the LoC in Rajouri district.
