Srinagar(Jammu and Kashmir): An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in the Ahlan area of Kokernag in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, police said. Two soldiers have been injured in this gunfight.
The encounter started at Ahlan Gagarmandu area of District Anantnag. Police and Security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow, a spokesperson for Kashmir Zone Police wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Reports quoting a senior police officer said that the encounter broke out after a joint team of Police and security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Ahlan on a very specific input about the presence of militants in the area.
As the joint team approached towards the suspected area, the hiding militants fired upon the joint party, leading to an encounter, the police officer added. An intermittent exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces was going on when this report was being filed.
#Encounter has started at Ahlan Gagarmandu area of District #Anantnag. Police and Security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow.@JmuKmrPolice
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) August 10, 2024
The exchange of fire was ongoing for some time in the initial stage of the search operation, where two to three militants are believed to be trapped in the forest area of Kokernag. Firing is stopped but the two soldiers are injured in a gunfight with militants in the initial stage of the operation. This encounter is the second major encounter in Kokernag.
Earlier in the day, the District Police Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir released sketches of four militants believed to be hiding in the higher reaches of the district. The police also announced a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each on the four militants. Police said that the four militants were last seen in Dhoks of Malhar, Bani and Seojdhar areas of Kathua.
