Five security personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, have been injured in an ongoing encounter between the forces and the militants in the Juthani area of Kathua district.
Among the injured, one personnel underwent surgery at Kathua GMC, while two others have been shifted to Jammu GMC. The remaining two have sustained minor injuries.
Some reports said three militants have also been killed in the encounter.
The situation remains tense as a large-scale cordon and search operation is underway across the region.
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The encounter began after security forces received intelligence about four to five militants hiding in the Juthani area.
The militants, believed to be a freshly infiltrated group, had taken a woman and her husband hostage in a nearby forest on Sunday, where they had gone to collect firewood. Fortunately, the couple managed to escape unharmed before security forces launched the operation.
As the operation continues, security has been tightened at Kathua railway station and other key locations in the district. For the past five days, suspicious terrorist movements have been reported in various areas of Kathua, raising fears of militant attacks.
Security forces have been combing a huge area which comprises thick forests and ravines.
Senior police, CRPF and Army officers are monitoring the situation while locals in the area have prepared meals for the security forces involved in the operation.
The gunfight centred near Jakhole village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh.
Earlier, the militants had abandoned some ammunition, bulletproof jackets and some food items, which were recovered by the security forces.
In the last three years, border areas of Jammu like Rajouri and Poonch bordering Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Kathua which lies near the international border, have seen increased militant infiltration and attacks on security forces and civilians.
Militants, after infiltrating, target security forces and then hiding in the forests, making operations against them difficult.