Srinagar, Mar 22: A search operation was resumed with the first light on Thursday morning in the
frontier district of Kupwara, where five foreign militants were killed and
equal number of security forces were martyred in the encounter which ensued on
Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the district administration of Kupwara has ordered
closure of Government Degree College (DGC) in the district, as a precautionary
measure on Thursday.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir S P Pani and other
senior police and CRPF officers paid floral tributes to Selection Grade
Constable Deepak Thusoo, a resident of Nagrota, Jammu, at District Police Lines
(DPL), Srinagar on Thursday.
There is no fresh information in the Halmatpora woods as
security forces are conducting searches, Defence ministry Spokesman Col Rajesh
Kalia told on Thursday morning.
He said no fresh contact was established with the militants,
since Wednesday.
Three Army soldiers and two personnel of the Special
Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police were martyred and five
militants, believed to be foreigners, were also gunned down in the woods, since
the eruption of encounter on Tuesday, he said.
The operation was suspended last night due to darkness in the
dense forest to avoid any casualty, official sources told, adding that
forces have resumed the operation from different directions. However, despite
all odds including chilly weather conditions, security forces remained deployed
throughout the night.
It is believed that the militants had recently infiltrated
into this side from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), where a large number of
trained ultras are waiting to sneak into this side as there was very less snow
on the higher reaches this winter. However, security forces guarding the LoC
are already on high alert to foil any infiltration attempt.
Giving details about the Halmatpora encounter, a police
spokesman said that on a specific information troops of 41 Rashtriya Rifles
(RR), 160 Territorial Army (TA), state police, 98 and 162 CRPF launched a joint
search operation in Halmatpora forest in Kupwara on Tuesday.
When the security forces were moving deep into forest in a
particular area, militants opened indiscriminate firing with automatic weapons.
Security forces also retaliated ensuing a fierce encounter, he said, adding
that five militants were killed. A large cache of arms and ammunition,
including AK rifle and grenades, were recovered. UNI
