2 terrorists, security personnel killed in encounter with terrorists in Jammu days ahead of PM's visit

Mobile internet services were suspended and schools closed for the day in the vicinity as a precautionary measure

Two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, two heavily armed terrorists and one CISF officer were killed in a pre-dawn gun battle between security forces and ultras in Sunjawan area on the outskirts of Jammu City on Friday.

Several security personnel were also injured in the shoot-out which erupted after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) near the sprawling Army installation in Sunjwan in the wee hours following a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area.

The police said they had information that terrorists were planning an attack in the city. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), however, said terrorists targeted a bus carrying its personnel in which an Assistant Sub-Inspector was killed.

CISF officials said a bus carrying 15 personnel for their morning shift came under attack at 4.25 am near the Chaddha camp. A senior official of the paramilitary force said the terrorists fired at the bus and lobbed grenades killing ASI S Patil and injuring others.

However, Additional Director General Police (ADGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh said there were ‘specific inputs’ that militants were planning to ‘do something’ and based on it, they launched a search operation in the area.

“Till now 2 (terrorists) have been killed. 2 AK-47 rifles, arms and ammunition, satellite phones (besides) some documents were alo recovered,” he said. “It seems like they were 'fidayeen' (suicide) attackers. Operation is under way,” he said.

The Sunjwan encounter took place despite heightened security arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir, two days ahead of Modi’s scheduled visit to Samba district. The visit of the Prime Minister is more than two-and-a-half years after the Centre abrogated the erstwhile State’s special status under Articles 370 and 35-A and split it into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.

On February 11, 2018, five soldiers, four ultras and one civilian had lost their lives when 'fidayeen' militants had stormed the Sunjwan Army installation. Sunjuwan is the third biggest Army facility in Jammu and Kashmir after Northern Command’s headquarters in Udhampur and Badami Bagh cantonment in Srinagar. Earlier in 2003, terrorists had barged into its premises and killed nearly a dozen soldiers.

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