Gunfight breaks out between security forces and terrorists in Udhampur

JAMMU: A gun battle broke out between security forces and terrorists in a village in the upper reaches of Udhampur district in Jammu on Monday evening.Officials said the encounter started at Soan village in Majalta area around 6 pm, after security forces launched a joint search operation on receiving inputs from J&K Police about the presence of terrorists in the area. “Reinforcements have been rushed to the area to strengthen the cordon and neutralise the terrorists holed up,” said an official.“The joint team of Special Operations Group (SOG), along with Army and CRPF, are on job,” Jammu IGP said in a post on X.Udhampur’s upper reaches are located along a traditional infiltration route often used by Pakistani terrorists who cross the International Border in Kathua and move toward Doda and Kishtwar districts in the Jammu region before heading further into the Kashmir Valley.Earlier, joint teams of J&K Police, SOG and CRPF had launched a joint search operation in the Jophar area of Ramnagar in Udhampur on December 2.