JAMMU: Security forces on Thursday intensified the anti-terror operation launched in Billawar, in the upper reaches of J&K’s Kathua district, the previous evening. One SOG trooper suffered minor injuries in the ensuing gunfight and was hospitalised.Around 4 pm Wednesday, locals of Kahog village reported sighting an armed terror suspect in the forests of Dhanu Parole-Kamadh Nallah area. A joint team of the Army, CRPF and J&K Police’s SOG soon rushed to the spot and initiated a cordon-and-search operation to hunt and kill the group of fleeing ultras, suspected to be two or three in number, officials said.Holed-up terrorists opened fire at the search party, triggering an encounter that continued for about one-and-a-half hours before the guns fell silent. The troops trudged through treacherous terrain, thick vegetation, and inclement weather in search of the hiding ultras, even as additional forces were rushed to the area along with aerial surveillance aid. However, the operation had to be halted as darkness fell.The cordon remained in place throughout the night, and the operation resumed early Thursday. Renewed contact with terrorists led to another firefight, in which the SOG jawan suffered a bullet injury in his leg, officials said.
