About three groups of terrorists, each comprising two to three ultras, are operating in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and Poonch districts, a senior police officer said on Sunday, asserting that security forces are determined to wipe out terrorism from the region.
Additional Director General of Police Mukesh Singh also said security agencies are making twice the effort to thwart attempts to push terrorists across the border. “Two or three groups of terrorists are believed to be present in the (Pir Panjal) region. Each group comprises two to three terrorists, but divulging their exact number is difficult,” Singh, flanked by the Army’s Romeo Force Major General Mohit Trivedi, told reporters in Rajouri.
Singh reached Rajouri, where an encounter between terrorists and security forces has been going on since Saturday. A suspected Pakistani terrorist in combat uniform was killed, and a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including an AK assault rifle and two pistols, was recovered from him. “Some terrorists were noticed in the Gundah-Khawas village of Budhal, and, accordingly, a police party rushed to the village, besides informing the Army. When a cordon-and-search operation was launched, the terrorists opened fire, which was retaliated by the joint troops of the police, army, and CRPF, resulting in the killing of a terrorist,” Singh said.
He added that the slain terrorist is believed to be from Pakistan and that it was evident from the material, including medicines and shoes, recovered from him. “One more terrorist is present in the village, and an encounter is on,” he said, adding that the seizure from the encounter scene, including raincoats and food items, indicated that they were trained to survive in jungle conditions.
