The security forces have expanded their search operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district to new areas following the recovery of the body of a fourth policeman and two slain militants from the encounter site, officials confirmed on Saturday.
The body of Head Constable Jagbir Singh was retrieved from the Ghati Juthana forest in Rajbagh and subsequently shifted to Jammu, where a wreath-laying ceremony was conducted at the police headquarters in Gulshan Ground, officials stated.
Additionally, the bodies of two militants, suspected to be associated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, were recovered from the encounter site, along with a cache of war-like stores.
The gunfight, which erupted on Thursday morning, persisted through Friday, resulting in the deaths of four policemen and two recently infiltrated militants.
The security forces continue their search for other members of the militant group for the third consecutive day on Saturday.
Initially, officials had placed the militant death toll at three.
However, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat later revised the figure, confirming the deaths of two militants and four police personnel.
Also read: Kathua cop’s martyrdom extends family's legacy of valour
Security forces are conducting extensive sanitisation of the encounter site while broadening the search operation to adjacent areas, including Billawar Heights, in an effort to locate and neutralise remaining militants.
“Relentless operations since 27 March have led to the elimination of two militants and the recovery of war-like stores. The operation continues,” stated the Army’s Rising Star Corps.
DGP Prabhat reiterated that this was the same militant group that had been spotted and intercepted in Saniyal village near the International Border in the Hiranagar sector on 23 March but had managed to escape.
He emphasised that security forces would ensure all militant groups were decisively dealt with.
“Neither the intention of the J&K Police has weakened, nor is our goal far from us. Our objective is clear, and our determination remains unwavering. The J&K Police is the only force in the country writing its history in golden words through bravery and sacrifice. We will not sleep or rest as long as our impure neighbour (Pakistan) and its (terror) organisations are not appropriately dealt with. This war will continue, and there will be no dilution in our intent,” Prabhat asserted.
Meanwhile, the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a shadow outfit of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claimed responsibility for the encounter.
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