Terrorist hideout busted, search under Operation Sheruwali enters third day in J-K's Rajouri

Jammu: Security forces busted a terrorist hideout after a brief firing as the search operation to track down suspected militants believed to be hiding in the dense woods of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district entered the third consecutive day on Monday, officials said.

An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Dorimal-Gambhir Moghla belt on Saturday following the launch of 'Operation 'Sheruwali' by a joint team of the Army, police and paramilitary forces.

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"The operation to track down suspected terrorists is going on amid a strong cordon. Surveillance has also been put in place," they said.

Armed with drones and sniffer dogs, joint teams have expanded the searches to adjoining areas, intensifying operations and strengthening the cordon with the induction of additional troops to track down the suspected terrorists believed to be hiding in the area, officials said.

There was brief firing in the area before a hideout was busted, they said. According to reports, there was speculative firing towards the hideout.

The hideout contained eatables, cold drinks, water bottles, pickles, clothes, bags and polythene covers. It appeared these were personal belongings of terrorists, they said.

The security forces also found blood stains, possibly of terrorists who seemed to have been hiding there before the area came under assault by the forces, reports said.

A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a massive cordon-and-search operation in the area on Saturday following specific inputs about the movement of suspected terrorists.

The operation led to a brief exchange of fire after contact was established with the suspected terrorists, prompting security forces to continue extensive searches in the forested terrain.

According to preliminary reports, the movement of two to three terrorists was suspected in the area.

The Army's White Knight Corps said on X that contact was established with terrorists around 11:30 am on Saturday in the general area of Gambhir Moghla.