Jammu, Aug 19 (IANS): A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer was killed on Monday in a terrorist attack in J&K’s Udhampur district.

Officials said that a CRPF officer identified as Inspector Kuldeep Singh was killed by the terrorists when they attacked a routine patrol party of the CRPF in the Cheel area of Ramnagar in Udhampur district.

“The terrorists opened indiscriminate fire in which inspector Kuldeep Kumar was martyred. The area has been cordoned off for searches”, officials said.

Terrorists have carried out ambush attacks against the army, security forces and civilians during the last two months in Udhampur, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division.

After reports of a group of 40 to 50 hardcore foreign mercenaries operating in the area came in, the army deployed over 4,000 highly trained soldiers including elite Para commandos and those trained in mountain warfare to deal with this new wave of terrorism.

The modus operandi of these terrorists has been to carry out surprise attacks and then disappear in the densely forested and foliaged mountains of these districts.

To counter this strategy of the terrorists, the army and the CRPF have been deployed at the mountain tops of Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Udhampur and Doda districts.

Due to the presence of the security forces inside the dense forests and over the rugged terrain of these mountainous districts during the last fortnight, the security forces have been able to engage the terrorists in exchange for firing at a number of places.