Forces eliminate terrorist in Poonch; encounter erupts after lull of two months [details]

After a lull of nearly two months, a gun battle again erupted between terrorists and security forces on Tuesday morning in Jammu and Kashmir's border district of Poonch.

One unidentified terrorist was killed in the encounter held at Behramgala area of Poonch. One AK-47 rifle and other ammunition were also recovered from the spot.

Giving details about the encounter, the defence spokesman Col Devender Anand said, "In a successful joint operation, the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police eliminated one terrorist in Behramgala, district Poonch. The operation was launched on 13 December 2021, on receiving specific intelligence inputs of the presence of armed terrorists in the area".

"During the encounter in the early hours on December 14,  2021, the terrorist attempted to escape while opening fire at the security personnel, however, was neutralized in the ensuing fire. One AK-47 rifle, four magazines, and pouches have been recovered from the slain terrorist", he said.

The first contact of forces with terrorists took place on October 11

For the last two months, combing and search operations have been going in different areas of Poonch after the first contact between the forces and the terrorists took place in Dhera Ki Gali, popularly known as DKG, on October 11, 2021.

The search operation, initially restricted to DKG in Poonch, was later extended to the other forest areas and also in the neighbouring Rajouri district.

After DKG, a massive search operation was also launched in the Bhatta Durrian forests of Mendhar tehsil in the Poonch district. Special teams have entered deep into the forest but no contact was established with the terrorists, believed to be hiding in some natural caves.

20 persons arrested for supporting hiding terrorists

During the last two months, police have arrested 20 persons, including two real brothers and some women for allegedly providing support to terrorists hiding in the forest areas. Three persons were nabbed from Kathmandu in Nepal.

As reported earlier, on October 25, police arrested three suspects, hailing from Mendhar, from Kathmandu in Nepal from where they were trying to flee to Saudi Arabia as they had reportedly helped the terrorists operating in Bhatta Durrian forests.

Police had a tip-off that the trio was in touch with the terrorists operating in Bhatta Durrian forests and as soon as Army launched operations in the jungle, they fled to Nepal on their way to Saudi Arabia.

A team of Poonch Police was deputed to Kathmandu and all three were nabbed before they could board the Saudi Arabia flight. They have been shifted to Mendhar for sustained interrogation to ascertain their exact role in helping the terrorists in Bhatta Durrian forests.

Nine soldiers including two JCOs killed in encounter

Nine Army soldiers, two of the Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), have been killed in action so far in Chamrer forests of Surankote and Bhatta Durrian jungles of Mendhar in the gun battles with the terrorists.

Nine soldiers including two JCOs were killed while terrorists managed to escape unhurt after committing two back-to-back deadly attacks on the troops engaged in combing and search operations in the forest area on the border of Poonch and Rajouri districts.