‘Grenades, sleeping bags, eatables recovered’: Security forces intensify hunt for terrorists in J&K’s Kathua | India News

NEW DELHI: Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district found four loaded M4 carbine magazines, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, and food supplies on Monday as they intensified their search for terrorists hiding in the area.
This comes as the search operation, now in its third day, continues in the forested areas of Kathua district to track down a group of infiltrating terrorists, officials said on Tuesday, according to news agency PTI.
Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat initiated the operation on Sunday evening in the Hiranagar sector following a confrontation between security forces and terrorists concealed in a nursery.
Earlier today morning, as security forces advanced deeper into the cordoned area, gunfire erupted. Officials clarified that troops conducted precautionary firing after detecting suspicious movement.
Security forces deployed an army helicopter above the area while joint army units, including specially-equipped commandos with heavy weaponry, sniffer dogs, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, continued searching for terrorists believed to be trapped within the zone.
The Special Operations Group (SOG) launched the operation after receiving intelligence about terrorists hiding in a ‘dhok’—a local enclosure—at a nursery in Sanyal village, about five km from the Pakistan border, officials said.
The hiding terrorists responded with intense gunfire towards the police unit, resulting in a fierce exchange lasting for more than half an hour, they said. Additional forces were promptly deployed to capture the terrorists, who allegedly infiltrated on Saturday either through ravines or via a newly constructed tunnel.
Officials reported no casualties from the initial exchange, and the area remained under strict security throughout the night before forces advanced at daybreak.
Despite no further contact with the terrorists, Monday’s search revealed four loaded M4 carbine magazines, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, food packets, and several polythene bags, which will be examined by the bomb disposal squad, officials said.
Intelligence suggests two separate groups, each comprising at least five terrorists, infiltrated on Saturday. Local residents organised food provisions for security personnel and media representatives stationed at the outer cordon.
Village women gathering firewood spotted approximately five terrorists taking shelter in the large nursery area, as reported by officials.
A young girl, aged seven, sustained minor wounds when a bullet grazed her arm. She was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital.
According to PTI, Anita Devi, aged 48, around 4:30 pm on Sunday recounted how armed terrorists apprehended her husband whilst they were collecting firewood at the nursery.
“The terrorists held my husband at gunpoint and asked me to come near. But my husband signalled me to run and I ran. One of the terrorists tried to stop me but I started shouting, which attracted the attention of two more people who were cutting grass,” Anita Devi said.