File Photo: Indian Army personnel during a counter-terror operation following a terrorist attack on an Army convoy, in Kathua district.
Srinagar, DHNS: A day after a deadly encounter left three Pakistani terrorists and an equal number of policemen dead, heavy firing and deafening sounds of explosions continued for the second day on Friday (March 28) as security forces resumed anti-terror operations in the remote forests of the Kathua district in Jammu.
The operation, which was temporarily halted overnight, resumed at first light, with search parties moving from different directions to locate and neutralize any remaining terrorists, officials said.
The gunbattle in Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Kathua on Thursday left three terrorists, believed to be Pakistanis and three policemen dead and seven others injured, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The gunfight triggered intense firing and explosions, with the Army using rocket launchers to eliminate the terrorists who fired heavily with M4 Carbines and other sophisticated weapons and also used grenades.
Special troops of the Army were airdropped at the scene of the encounter on Thursday evening to further strengthen the security and cordon off the area.
Army said that the bodies of the three dead terrorists were noticed by drones and were retrieved on Friday morning.
Police suspect that at least two terrorists are still hiding in the dense forest, though it remains unclear if they belong to the same group spotted in the village of Sanyal in the Hiranagar sector on Sunday (March 23) .
Authorities are investigating the possibility that the terrorists involved in both incidents could be part of the same group, as the number of terrorists in each encounter appears to match.
This group, believed to have traveled through Ghati Heights to the Billawar mountains, may have planned to travel either to Udhampur or Kishtwar districts.