PTI photo
JAMMU: The ongoing hunt for three fugitive ultras in the snowbound Chatroo-Dolgam-Dichhar belt was intensified on Sunday — day 15 of Operation Trashi-I.Security forces and terrorists had briefly exchanged bullets in Dolgam area Saturday. One terrorist was believed to have sustained injuries, as drone footage purportedly showed blood trails, officials said. Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma had visited Kishtwar on Saturday to review the counter-terrorism grid.The latest gunfight was the fourth encounter since initial contact was established in Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, Chatroo, on Jan 18, in which eight security personnel were injured, one of whom eventually succumbed.
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On Jan 22, another gunfight broke out with holed-up ultras in Singhpora. Yet another firefight followed on Jan 24, in which a Pakistani Jaish terrorist was shot dead.After an overnight cordon, the searches resumed early Sunday and continued till late in the night.Officials said the ultras, on the run for more than two weeks now, had been continuously changing hideouts. Additional forces were roped in to fortify the cordon, and sniffer dogs were deployed to assist the troops on the ground. The region was put under aerial surveillance using drones and choppers to plug possible escape routes.Security agencies were also trying to trace terrorist sympathisers who may have helped the ultras with food and shelter. After leaving a fortified hideout on Jan 19, the terrorists might have run out of rations and consumables, especially in view of the hostile weather conditions.Mobile internet services (all bandwidths) have remained temporarily suspended within a 6km-radius covering Singhpora, Chingam, and Chatroo since Jan 30 as a security measure.