Earlier, a group of terrorists was intercepted on Sunday evening within a ‘dhok’, a local term for an enclosure in a nursery, in Sanyal village near the International Border with Pakistan in the Hiranagar sector.A subsequent search operation, involving the police, army, NSG, BSF and CRPF, utilised advanced technical and surveillance equipment to track down and neutralize the terrorists.Despite the massive search operation, the terrorists managed to escape the initial cordon, the officials said, adding it is assumed that the same group could have been possibly spotted near Jakhole, approximately 30 km from the initial encounter site.The search teams discovered evidence on Monday, including four loaded magazines of M4 carbine, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, food packets, and materials for constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near the Hiranagar encounter site.The terrorists were moving through the forest area towards the Billawar side when a police party headed by a SDPO moved in after getting specific information but came under heavy firing, resulting in the day-long gunfight.Reinforcements from the police, army, and CRPF were immediately deployed to the area, while the special forces of the army were also airdropped to neutralise the terrorists.Police believe the terrorists infiltrated on Saturday, possibly via a ravine route or a newly constructed tunnel from across the border.Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat and Inspector General of Police (Jammu Zone) Bhim Sen Tuti have been overseeing the anti-terrorist operation from Kathua for the past four days, the officials said.The People’s Anti-Fascist Front, a proxy outfit of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), claimed responsibility for the encounter.
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