Searches in Poonch & Kathua continue – Times of India

JAMMU: A joint team of security forces On Monday, search operations were intensified in the Jammu region, especially in Kathua‘s Bani and Poonch‘s Pathanateer areas, to track down terrorists a day after consecutive shootings in J&K, less than a week before the first phase of polls for elections for the state assembly on September 18. However, no new contact has been made, officials said.
On Sunday morning, a gunfight broke out between security personnel and terrorists in Mendhar area of ​​Poonch, while another gunfight took place in the remote Nuknali Bani area of ​​Kathua district that same afternoon.
The elections are taking place against a backdrop of increasing violence. Between May 4 and September 13, J&K recorded 21 fatalities among security forces — 17 in the Jammu zone and four in the Kashmir Valley. The latest casualties occurred on September 13, when two soldiers were killed in a gunfight in Kishtwar Chatroo district, after the murder of two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists on September 11.
On Saturday, a non-commissioned officer was injured in a gunfight when soldiers thwarted an attempt by Pakistani terrorists to cross the border in Nowshera area of ​​Rajouri.
Security has been tightened in Kishtwar, Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua and Udhampur districts, especially in the upper reaches, following the recent surge in terrorist activities. “Terrorists are taking advantage of dense forest cover and using it to camouflage their movements,” an official said.