An encounter between the security forces and hiding militants, fourth in the past four days, broke out in Doda district’s Patnitop area on Tuesday night.
A Jammu-based spokesman of the Army’s White Knight Corps said contact was established with the terrorists and operations were in progress to neutralise them.
“Based on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation by the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched in Akar Forest near Patnitop,” the spokesman said.
This anti-militancy operation has been named as Operation Assar. It’s the fourth such operation against hiding militants since Saturday. Security forces engaged three groups of militants in Anantnag, Kishtwar and Udhampur districts since Saturday.
Two soldiers and a civilian were killed in the Anantnag gunfight. However, no militants could be traced after the firefight.
Earlier in the day, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the White Knight Corps, along with GOC CIF (Romeo) and GOC Ace of Spades Division, visited forward areas along the Line of Control and hinterland to review the current security situation.
An Army spokesman said the officers emphasised on the importance of Army’s operations to ensure peace and stability, working in close coordination and synergy with other security agencies in the region.
