JAMMU: A 7-year-old girl received a gunshot wound during an intense gunfight between 4-5 Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists and security forces during a combing operation in Sanyal area of Hiranagar in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Sunday.
“Anchal Kumari, daughter of Nago from Bihar, suffered a minor bullet injury and was rushed to a nearby hospital,” a source said.
An Army spokesperson dismissed social media posts falsely claiming troop casualties. “This is false and deliberate disinformation.”
“Based on specific inputs about the presence of armed terrorists in Sanyal village near Indo-Pak border, a joint team of Army, CRPF, and state police launched a cordon and search operation. As security forces advanced, the hiding terrorists opened fire, triggering an encounter,” a source said.
Earlier on Saturday evening, a joint team of Army and police busted a terrorist hideout in Bhalra forest area of Doda’s Bhaderwah. “The Doda operation began on Thursday after locals reported suspected terrorist activity in the higher reaches. A pistol, three magazines, and 25 rounds of AK rifle ammunition were recovered,” a source said.
Meanwhile, security forces also launched combing operations in neighbouring Kishtwar district on Sunday.
The Kathua encounter comes two years after a powerful blast near Sanyal border police post created a massive crater on Mar 29, 2023, causing panic among locals. A live grenade was recovered during searches the following day.
Jammu region has seen a rise in terror activities recently. On Mar 21, suspected terrorists hurled a grenade at a police vehicle in Rajouri district but missed their target. On Feb 26, armed terrorists opened fire on an Army convoy in Akhnoor.