2 terrorists killed in clash in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar:

The two terrorists who opened fire in a village in Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir) last night were killed in an encounter. A paramilitary soldier was also killed in the exchange of fire.

Two clashes that began in Jammu during the night dragged on into the morning. One of them was in Doda, where five soldiers and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were injured in an attack on an army base.

Just two days before these two terrorist attacks in Jammu, a bus carrying pilgrims was attacked in Reasi and plunged into a ravine, killing nine passengers.

Anand Jain, deputy director general of police, Jammu district, who is overseeing anti-terror operations in Kathua, gave details of the encounters this morning.

On the Doda incident, he said terrorists opened fire on a joint force of police and Rashtriya Rifles at an army base in Chattargala area last night. There was a clash between the security forces and the terrorists in the higher ranks, he said.

Police said two terrorists were involved in the attack in Kathua last night and one of them was killed last night. The second terrorist, armed with a US-made M4 carbine assault rifle, was holed up in the forest area and was eliminated this morning.

The terrorists asked several houses for water, which aroused suspicion among villagers, and opened fire when some villagers raised the alarm, police said. One civilian was injured in the firing, Mr Jain clarified, denying reports that three people had died in the attack in Kathua.

“There are rumors that many people are injured and three are dead. But only one civilian was injured. Otherwise, all information about hostages and deaths are rumors,” he said.

The security guard killed in the clash was a member of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

ADGP Jain also termed the Kathua attack as a “new infiltration”, referring to Pakistan without mentioning the country by name. “It is our hostile neighbour who always tries to destroy the peaceful environment in our country. This (the Hiranagar terror attack) seems to be a new infiltration,” he said.

Jammu came high on the terror radar because the attacks were reported from areas where attacks are not known to occur.

Two days earlier, a bus on its way to the Shiv Khori cave temple in Reasi was attacked. The terrorists opened fire after the bus driver refused to let the passengers disembark, but lost control and plunged into the ravine, the bus company manager said. Nine people were killed and 33 injured in the incident. The attack was carried out on the orders of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Hamza, officials said.