Srinagar:

Three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district this morning, sources said. The gunfight began in the Chak Taper Kreeri in the Pattan area of the north Kashmir district late Friday after a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir police based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists.

The operation is going on.

Joint operation with @JmuKmrPolice in progress at #Baramulla. https://t.co/YZY7MLjYeopic.twitter.com/GkvBlwRJ2k

— NORTHERN COMMAND – INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) September 14, 2024

In a separate encounter, troops of the Army’s Rising Star Corps unit shot dead two terrorists in Kathua on Friday.

“Large war-like stores were recovered after the operations concluded,” they said in a statement on X.

#

In the Joint operation launched on 11 Sep by & & , Two Terrorists Neutralised & Large War Like Stores Recovered. … pic.twitter.com/SE4bfRVmNL

— Rising Star Corps_IA (@RisingStarCorps) September 13, 2024

Earlier Friday, two Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed in action and an equal number injured in an encounter with terrorists in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

The gunfight broke out when a joint security party of the Army and police, acting on a tip-off, launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Naidgham area in the Chhatroo belt connecting Kishtwar with south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

#GeneralUpendraDwivedi#COAS and All Ranks of #IndianArmy salute the supreme sacrifice of the #Bravehearts Nb Sub Vipan Kumar and Sep Arvind Singh, who laid down their lives in the line of duty in J&K and express deepest condolences to the bereaved families. https://t.co/4eGMGpTxDk

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 14, 2024

Four Army personnel were injured in the gunbattle and two of them — Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar, a JCO, and Sepoy Arvind Singh — later died, the officials said, adding that one of the soldiers died of splinter injuries caused by a grenade explosion and another of a bullet injury in the head.

PM Modi’s Jammu And Kashmir Visit

These encounters happened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega poll rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.

Multi-tier security has been deployed across the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar, particularly around the venue, to ensure a peaceful and smooth conduct of the election rally.

This will be the first visit by a prime minister to Doda in the last 42 years.

Voting in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections will be held in three phases – September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.

This is the first Assembly election in J&K in 10 years, and the first since the abrogation of Article 370 – which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir – and Article 35A – which empowered Jammu and Kashmir’s legislature to decide who the erstwhile state’s permanent residents were.

Two terrorists have been killed in a fierce encounter that broke out today in Jammu and Kashmir’s Hadipora village in the Baramulla district of the Union Territory. 

The encounter started after security forces and the police launched a search operation to track down the hiding terrorists. “Two bodies are seen at the encounter site. Both the terrorists have been killed. Their identity is yet to be ascertained” Mr VK Birdi, inspector general police told NDTV. 

The encounter in Jammu and Kashmir broke out a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the capital Srinagar. 

This will be the Prime Minister’s first visit to the Union Territory after taking the oath of office for the third time on June 9. He will take in International Yoga Day celebrations in Srinagar on Friday. The event will take place on the banks of the Dal Lake in the capital.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed back-to-back encounters in the past few weeks. 

Terror Attacks, Encounters In June

Earlier this month, on June 3, an encounter broke out in Kashmir’s Pulwama between security forces and terrorists. A joint operation was launched by the police and armed forces in the Nihama area of District Pulwama.

Almost a week later, a bus with pilgrims was attacked in the Reasi district of Jammu leaving nine people dead. The bus was on its way to the Shiv Khori cave temple when the attackers opened fire. The attack was carried out on the instructions of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Hamza.

Two days later, a person was reportedly injured after terrorists opened fire in a village in the Union Territory’s Kathua district, close to the International Border. A terrorist was also killed. 

A third encounter broke out in the Doda district of Jammu, followed by another in the same region. It was the fourth encounter in three days. 

One group comprising three to four terrorists were present in the higher reaches of Doda, a senior police officer had said. Five soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles and a special police officer (SPO) were injured on June 11 when the terrorists attacked a joint checkpost in the upper reaches of Chattergalla on the Bhaderwah-Pathankot road in the hilly district.

PM Assess Security Situation 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting last week to assess the situation in Jammu and Kashmir after four encounters between security forces and terrorists took place in the last four days.

Prime Minister Modi spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The Prime Minister was given a full overview of the security-related situation of the Union Territory and the counter-terrorism operations being undertaken by the armed forces.

Sources told NDTV that the Prime Minister has asked the authorities to deploy the full spectrum of the armed forces’ counter-terror capabilities.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Shah and discussed the deployment of security forces and counter-terror operations.