SRINAGAR: A gunfight erupted between militants and security forces in the Akar forest area of tourist spot Patnitop in Jammu’s Udhampur district on Tuesday. According to a defence spokesman, the Army and police launched a joint operation in the area based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants.He said a contact has been established with the terrorists. “The exchange of fire is going on.” Additional troops have been rushed to the area to tighten the siege and prevent militants from escaping into dense forest.Meanwhile, the search operation launched by the troops in the dense forest of Kokernag in Anantnag district to track down a group of militants involved in the recent encounter in which two soldiers and a civilian were killed, continued for the fourth day. Drones and other surveillance equipment are being used to pinpoint the movement of militants hiding in the forest. “The troops are also using sniffer dogs to locate the militants,” the official said.Inspector-General of Police in Kashmir, VK Birdi, said security forces are moving in vigilantly in the dense forest. “There has been no fresh contact with the hiding militants,” he said.According to Birdi, three to four Pakistani militants are hiding in the forest. On Saturday evening, the militants exchanged fire with security forces in the forests of Ahlan Gadole area of Kokernag. Two soldiers and a civilian were killed. Another soldier and civilian sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment. Birdi said it is being probed what the two civilians were doing at the encounter site. According to Army, militants involved in Kokernag encounter are the same group involved in encounters in the mountainous Doda district of Jammu region, in which four soldiers, including an officer, were killed.
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