Jammu, May 25: A search operation to track down suspected millitants believed to be hiding in the dense woods of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district entered the third consecutive day on Monday, officials said.
A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had launched the operation in the area on Saturday following specific inputs about the movement of suspected militants.
An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in the Dorimal-Gambhir Moghla belt on Saturday following the launch of ‘Operation Sheruwali’.
“The operation to track down suspected militants is going on amid a strong cordon. Surveillance has also been put in place,” they said.
Armed with drones and sniffer dogs, joint teams have expanded the searches to adjoining areas, intensifying operations and strengthening the cordon with the induction of additional troops to track down suspected militants believed to be hiding in the area, officials said.
The operation led to a brief exchange of fire after contact was established with the suspected militants, prompting security forces to continue extensive searches in the forested terrain.
According to preliminary reports, the movement of two to three militants was suspected in the area.
The Army’s White Knight Corps said on X that contact was established with militants around 11:30 am on Saturday in the general area of Gambhir Moghla during an intelligence-based joint operation carried out with the police and CRPF.
