Three security personnel and an arrested Pakistani terrorist were injured on Sunday when terrorists opened fire on a joint search party of the Indian Army and police inside a forest in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on the 14th day of a massive operation against militants hiding in the area, a police officer said.
The arrested Pakistani terrorist, Zia Mustafa, who got injured at the encounter site where he had been taken by the security forces to identify a hideout in Bhata Durian forest, couldn’t be retrieved because of the heavy volume of fire, said the officer.
“During the search when the team approached the hideout, militants opened fire in which two policemen and an army jawan sustained injuries. Mustafa also sustained injuries and he could not be extracted from the site due to heavy fire,” the police said. Mustafa is a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist.
Mustafa, a resident of Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was lodged in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu for the last 14 years and was shifted to Mendhar on police remand after investigation revealed his link with the hiding terrorists. Mustafa had sneaked into the Jammu and Kashmir using the same route before he was arrested from south Kashmir, news agency PTI said, quoting officials.
“Injured personnel are under treatment at the nearby health facility. A fresh attempt will be made with reinforcements. Operation at the site is still going on,” said police.
In Bhata Durian, hiding militants had killed a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and three army soldiers on October 14. Three days before that on October 11, five army men including a JCO were killed in another encounter in nearby forest area adjoining Surankote at Chamrer, resulting in the loss of nine soldiers in the protracted encounter, which began on October 11.
On Tuesday, army chief general MM Naravane visited Poonch and reviewed the security situation. This was the first instance of an army chief visiting an encounter site in Jammu & Kashmir.
Last week, the Jammu & Kashmir Police said the terrorists were believed to be hiding in the jungles since August this year. A senior police officer said the terrorists were believed to have sneaked in the Nar Khas forests and Chamrer from Balakot.
(With inputs from agencies)