JAMMU: Three Jammu & Kashmir policemen and three suspected Pakistani terrorists were killed on Thursday in a fierce gunfight in the forested Sufain area of Kathua district. Security forces conducting a search operation came under heavy fire from terrorists hiding in the woods, triggering an intense exchange of gunfire.
DSP Dheeraj Katoch, two other policemen, and a soldier from the Army’s 1 PARA (Special Forces) were injured in the encounter. The area has been cordoned off, and reinforcements have been deployed. Officials confirmed that the slain policemen included a head constable and two constables. As the operation continued late into the night, the bodies were yet to be evacuated.
Daylong Gun Battle with Explosives and Rocket Fire
The encounter saw sustained gunfire throughout the day, with grenades and rockets shaking the region. “The exchange of fire was intense and continued for hours,” an official said. The injured personnel were rushed to hospitals in Kathua and Jammu, where they are reported to be in stable condition.
The terrorists are believed to be the same group that escaped after a brief gunfight near Sanyal village in Hiranagar sector, close to the Pakistan border, last Sunday. Sufain’s forests lie about 35km from the earlier encounter site.
Manhunt and Intelligence Breakthrough
Security forces tracked the militants to a remote mountain hut used by nomadic herders, but the suspects slipped away, triggering a large-scale manhunt. The Army, NSG, BSF, CRPF, and J&K Police deployed advanced surveillance equipment, including drones, UAVs, sniffer dogs, and bulletproof vehicles.
During Monday’s search operations, security forces recovered four loaded M4 carbine magazines, grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, and IED-making materials. A key breakthrough came a day later when a woman in Dinga Amb village reported seeing two men in combat gear asking for water, prompting an intensified search in the area.
Security on High Alert
To prevent further infiltration or escape, security has been tightened along the Jammu-Pathankot national highway and surrounding link roads leading to border villages. Meanwhile, in Rajouri district, security forces uncovered a terrorist hideout in the Manyal Gali forests of Thanamandi, seizing live ammunition, grenades, a gas cylinder, a solar panel, and food supplies.
The recent terrorist activity has sparked protests in Jammu, where Dogra Front and Shiv Sena activists burned a Pakistani flag, condemning cross-border terrorism.
