Fresh firing in Arnia, Army begins operation to track down militant

UDHAMPUR: Fresh firing today erupted near the Arnia border belt of Jammu district when security forces launched a cordon and search operation to track down a militant hiding in a bunker and retrieve bodies of civilians killed in a gunbattle.

A day after militants attacked two Army bunkers close to the Indo-Pak border leaving 10 people, including three civilians and as many army men dead in a gun battle, security forces launched an operation to track down the holed up ultra.

An Army official said that security forces, who had launched a cordon and search operation at the site of encounter in Arnia this morning to retrieve bodies of civilians, came under fire from a militant hiding in a bunker triggering fresh exchanges.

The engagement with the militants is going on when the reports last came in, the officials said.

Bodies of the three civilians could not be taken out yesterday in view of the gun fight, he said, adding search for another militant was also launched simultaneously.

In a terror strike on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu Division, militants wearing combat uniform had yesterday attacked two Army bunkers close to the Indo-Pak border leaving 10 people dead.

The dead also included four heavily armed militants who were holed up in a bunker after they were suspected to have infiltrated into Arnia sector from across the border in Jammu district to carry out a fidayeen attack.

Army used tanks in the operation with an intention to blast the bunker, where the lone surviving militant has taken shelter during the encounter.