Three security personnel and an arrested Pakistani terrorist were injured on Sunday when militants opened fire on a joint search party of the Army and police inside a forest in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, according to reports. Heavy firing and explosions were reported from Bhatta Durrian forest of Mendhar which, along with nearby forest areas adjoining Surankote (Poonch) and Thanamandi in Rajouri district, is witnessing a massive search operation.
"Zia Mustafa, a Pakistani LeT terrorist, was taken to Bhatta Durrian for identification of terrorist hideout during the ongoing operation. During the search, when the team approached hideout, terrorists opened fire on the joint team of police and Army personnel," news agency ANI reported.
The operation in the forest areas in the twin border districts commenced on October 11, when terrorists ambushed a search party, killing five soldiers including a JCO in Surankote forest of Poonch before another gunfight in nearby Thanamandi on the same day.
On October 14, the terrorists struck again and killed four soldiers including a JCO in Nar Khas forest in Mendhar as the security forces extended the cordon and search operation to neutralise the fleeing terrorists.
Drones and helicopters were pressed into service to assist the marching troops, which included para-commandos, in the jungle spread over the Line of Control (LoC).
There was no contact with the terrorist after the initial gunfights on October 11 and October 14. The search area was expanded, hoping to conclude the operation with the clearance of the natural caves within a day or two depending on the weather conditions. Higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, including Peer Ki Gali along Poonch-Shopian road, experienced first moderate snowfall, while the plains were lashed by heavy rains since Friday night, resulting in appreciable drop in the day temperature.
Two suspected improvised explosive devices were destroyed by the army search parties in Bhatta Durrian forest of Mendhar, where the locals were asked not to venture out of their homes on Tuesday as a safety measure with the troops advancing into the dense forest.
-Inputs from PTI
