Three militants have been killed in an ongoing encounter in the Akhnoor area of Jammu after they targeted an Army vehicle in Jogwan area near the Line of Control on Monday morning. No injuries were reported from the initial attack.
According to officials, the militants opened fire on the Army vehicle around 7 am, leading to a search operation. During the operation in the area, contact was established with the hiding militants, triggering a gunfight. After a heavy exchange of fire, three militants were killed. The operation is still underway.
Earlier, a high alert was issued across Jammu’s border districts, including Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Poonch, and Rajouri, following recent attacks in Ganderbal and Baramulla. The alert came after a meeting chaired by ADGP Jammu, Anand Jain, with district SSPs.
READ MORE: J&K: Militants fire at Army vehicle in Akhnoor; no casualty reported
Militant attacks have escalated since the swearing-in of the National Conference-Congress government. On October 18, seven workers and a doctor from Budgam were killed in a militant attack at the Gagangir tunnel construction site in Ganderbal, aimed at improving connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh.
The militants have also targeted migrant workers in Kashmir. On October 24, militants also attacked an Army truck at Butapathri near Gulmarg in Baramulla, killing two porters and two soldiers.
The rise in militant attacks has caused unease within the government and security circles, especially after assembly elections that remained incident-free.
Taking note of the rising attacks, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on October 24, chaired a crucial Unified Headquarters (UHQ) meeting in Srinagar to devise a strategy to combat fresh threats, especially attacks on vital infrastructure projects and migrant workers.
The meeting was attended by the heads of all security agencies, including J&K Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Northern Army Commander M.V. Suchindera Kumar, GoC of Srinagar based 15 Corps Lt General Prashant Srivastava, ADGP J&K Vijay Kumar, ADGP Jammu Anand Jain, IGP Kashmir V.K. Bhirdi, IG BSF, IGs of CRF and the director of Intelligence Bureau. Chief Secretary Atal Duloo and Principal Secretary Home also participated in the meeting.