Baramulla: A fierce encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning. Security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by a group of terrorists who tried to cross the border from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, the encounter started in the forward area of Uri, Hathlanga, where a joint team of Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted the infiltrators. The police said that one terrorist was killed in the initial exchange of fire and a search operation was launched to track down the remaining terrorists.
The Indian Army said that two more terrorists were killed later and their bodies were recovered along with some arms and ammunition. However, the recovery of the third body was hampered due to firing by the Pakistani Army from across the LoC. The army said that the operation was still ongoing and the area was cordoned off.
This is the second encounter in Baramulla district in three days. On Thursday, security forces killed two terrorists in an encounter in the Kokernag forest area of Anantnag district. The slain terrorists were identified as members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit.
Uri is a town and a tehsil in the Baramulla district, located on the left bank of the Jhelum River, about 10 kilometers east of the LoC with Pakistan. Uri has witnessed several terror attacks and infiltration attempts in the past. In 2016, four heavily armed terrorists attacked an army base in Uri, killing 19 soldiers and injuring several others. The attack triggered a surgical strike by the Indian Army across the LoC, targeting terror launch pads in PoK.