DODA: Three terrorists were killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. A large cache of warlike stores, including automatic assault rifles, has been recovered following the joint operation carried out by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). According to a PTI report, the terrorists were affiliated to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist group. A police personnel was also injured in the gunfight that lasted more than six hours in Bajaad village in the Gandoh area around 9:50 am amid a cordon-and-search operation. On June 11, six security personnel were injured in a terrorist attack on a joint check post at Chattargalla. A police personnel was hurt in a gunbattle with terrorists at the Kota top in Gandoh on June 12. After the twin terror attacks, the security forces had intensified the anti-terror operations and even announced a cash reward of ₹5 lakh each on the information about the four Pakistani terrorists who were believed to have infiltrated into the district. As per a PTI report, the forces came under heavy fire from the terrorists during their operation in a village in Sinoo panchayat. A terrorist was killed in retaliatory fire after he came out and started firing on the search parties. Heavy gunfire and explosions rattled the village as two more terrorists were eliminated by the security forces as the day progressed, the officials said The officials added that according to a preliminary investigation, the terrorists believed to have recently infiltrated from across the border are JeM members and likely from Pakistan. An Army helicopter was also seen hovering over the area for surveillance during the encounter, the officials said. They said the encounter ended around 4 pm but a thorough search operation is still continuing to ensure that no other terrorists are there in the area.
