Sidhra (Jammu and Kashmir): Four militants were neutralized in a gunfight that broke out between security forces and militants in the Sidhra area of Jammu district Wednesday morning. The security forces noticed the unusual movement of a truck and followed it, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh said. When the truck was stopped at Sidhra the driver managed to flee but some militants who were hiding inside the truck fired upon the forces, he added. Search operations are on to trace the absconding driver.
The encounter broke out at around 7.15 am near check post on Sidhra bridge, amid intense fog near Tawi Bridge along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. "We noticed the unusual movement of a truck and followed it. The truck was stopped at Sidhra in Jammu where the driver managed to flee. When the truck was searched terrorists hiding inside, fired on the personnel. Our forces fired in retaliation," the ADGP said adding that the militants have now been neutralized in the joint operation. War likes stores including seven AK 47 rifles, one M4 carbine, and three pistols were also recovered from the encounter site.
“Security forces have been on alert and border grid was increased in view of Republic Day. He said an unusual movement of noticed way Highway Patrol squad and which was followed and intercepted at appropriate spot,” the ADGP said. “At this juncture I can’t able to tell more but four terrorists have been killed in a joint operation,” an army officer said, adding “seven AK 47 rifles and thee pistols have been recovered from the spot," he added.
Earlier the police mentioned that a cordon and search operation was launched in the area by a joint team of security forces based on specific inputs about the presence of militants in the place. Reinforcements were rushed to the area to neutralize the militants.
The gunfight follows after the Jammu and Kashmir Police defused an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 15 kilograms, recovered in Udhampur district on Tuesday. Even on Monday, a major terror plan was averted when the cylindrical-shaped IED, 300-400 grams of RDX, seven 7.62 mm cartridges and five detonators were recovered in the Basantgarh area. One coded sheet and one letter pad page of the banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were also recovered and a suspect was detained. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Jammu city after the encounter.
