Gunfight Breaks Out In J&K's Baramulla

(MENAFN- IANS) Srinagar, Sept 14 (IANS) A gunfight started overnight between the security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, officials said.

Officials added that an encounter has started during the night intervening September 13-14 in Chak Tappar Kreeri area of Baramulla district.

"Two to three terrorists are believed to be hiding in the area. Operation is going on to neutralise the terrorists," officials said.

Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts of the Valley go to vote in the third and final phase of polling in the Union Territory (UT) on October 1.

Meanwhile, anti-terrorist operation is still underway in Chatroo village of Kishtwar district in Jammu division where two army soldiers were martyred and two others injured in an encounter with a group of terrorists on Friday.

Eight Assembly constituencies spread across Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts in the Chenab valley region along with 16 seats in the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam are going to polls in the first phase on September 18.

Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts are going to vote in second and third phase of elections in the UT on September 25 and October 1 respectively.

The hilly districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur in the Jammu division have witnessed terrorist ambush attacks against the Army, security forces and civilians during the last more than two months.

After reports that a group of foreign terrorists, believed to be 40 to 50 in number, are responsible for these attacks, the Army deployed more than 4,000 trained soldiers drawn from the elite Para Commandos and those trained in mountain warfare inside the densely forested areas of those districts.

Terrorists used element of surprise to carry out ambush attacks and then disappear in the forests of these hilly areas.

The deployment of Army and the CRPF together with the strengthening of the village defence committees managed by local residents, has deprived the terrorists of using the element of surprise to carry out such attacks.

After the security forces started aggressively going after the terrorists both in the Jammu division and the Kashmir Valley, the terrorists are now increasingly being engaged in exchange of firing with the security forces.

"They either get killed during such encounters or remain on the run. This prevents them from surprising the security forces by carrying out sly attacks," a senior police officer said.

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