J&K: Encounter breaks out in Kathua, 7-year-old girl injured

Jammu: Security forces on Sunday launched a major offensive against a group of terrorists, who infiltrated from across the border, in the dense jungles of Kathua district in the Jammu region, officials here said.

They said that the operation was launched following an intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists inside a ‘dhok’ — a local term for an enclosure — located within a nursery in Sanyal village, approximately five kilometres from the International Border with Pakistan.

A police team from the Special Operations Group initiated a search operation after receiving the input and when the personnel entered the area, they came under heavy fire from the terrorists, leading to a gunfight, the officials said.

Reinforcements were swiftly dispatched to aid in the operation, as a manhunt was launched to apprehend the terrorists, believed to have infiltrated on Saturday via either the ravine route or through a newly created tunnel.

Despite the intense exchange of gunfire lasting nearly half an hour, there has been no report of any casualty, the officials said, adding that at present, the cordon is being strengthened with the help of the additional forces.

One of the inputs also suggested that two groups of 5-6 terrorists each infiltrated on Saturday.

According to the officials, some village women collecting firewood reported seeing around five terrorists who had sought refuge in the expansive nursery area.

A seven-year-old girl sustained injuries and was shifted to a local hospital. However, the circumstances leading to her injury were not clear immediately.

Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat is personally monitoring the operations near the encounter site, the officials said.

Army’s Rising Star Corps (IX Corps) said in a post on X that a joint operation involving police forces and Army troops is currently in progress in the Sanyal Hiranagar area based on the intelligence input regarding the terrorists’ presence.