Daijiworld Media Network - Kishtwar

Kishtwar, Jan 26: A fresh encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Chatroo belt of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district late Sunday night, officials said.

This is the third encounter reported in the hilly Chatroo area over the past week, as the army and police continue an intensive search for a group of three Pakistani terrorists believed to be linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, despite heavy snowfall in the region.

According to officials, the latest exchange of fire began around 10.20 pm when a joint search team of the army and police was carrying out operations in the Janseer-Kandiwar forest area. The terrorists opened fire on the forces, who retaliated, leading to intermittent gunfire as the operation progressed.

The security forces have continued their pursuit even though large parts of the Chatroo belt remain covered in snow. The search operation intensified after the first encounter on January 18 at Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora, in which a paratrooper was killed and seven other soldiers were injured.

Although the terrorists managed to escape during that initial gunfight by taking advantage of dense vegetation and difficult terrain, they were intercepted again a few kilometres away on January 22. Despite sustained efforts, the militants once again evaded capture.

Officials said the search was not called off even after the area received more than two feet of snowfall on Friday, with security forces maintaining pressure on the terrorists in the snowbound forests.