Four militants were killed and two Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel wounded in a gunfight on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on the outskirts of Jammu city early on Thursday, officials said.
The encounter started after a vehicle, in which militants were travelling, was intercepted by security forces personnel near the Ban toll plaza of Nagrota on the highway, they said.
The highway has been closed for vehicular traffic, they said. The footage from the scene showed the truck erupting in flames.
In a statement, the IGP Jammu said that four militants were killed in the encounter at Ban Toll Plaza, Jammu with Police, CRPF and the Army. He, however, confirmed the injuries to one police constable.
Quoting Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, IANS news agency said a group of four JeM militants had infiltrated into India through the International Border in Samba on Wednesday night.
They were travelling in a truck on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was intercepted by the police at a toll plaza near Nagrota. After they were intercepted the heavily armed militants threw grenades at the police party. During the gun battle the truck caught fire.
The area was cordoned off and additional forces were rushed to the spot. This is the second such encounter on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway this year.
According to the police, the militants belong to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed group. In January three militants were gunned down by the security forces. They had adopted the similar modus operandi by hiding inside a truck.
