Search op in J&K’s Lasana after gunfight with terrorists; reinforcements rushed

Jammu, April 15: Reinforcements were rushed on Tuesday to Lasana area of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Poonch district, where a brief exchange of fire took place late on Monday evening between the security forces and terrorists.The Army’s White Knight corps said on X, “Op Lasana. Contact was established with #terrorists during a joint #operation with @JmuKmrPolice at #Lasana, #Surankote last night. Additional troops have been inducted, and search operations are ongoing to prevent the terrorists from escaping.”Three terrorists were killed last week during the three-day-long anti-terrorist operation in Kishtwar district.The security forces said the three slain Pakistani terrorists included a top commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, Saifullah. large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the slain terrorists.On March 23, a group of five terrorists were spotted in Sanyal village of Kathua district, barely 4 kms inside the International Border.It is believed that the group had recently infiltrated from Pakistan.A team of J&K Police immediately reached Sanyal village and engaged the terrorists in a gunfight.The terrorists escaped to Safiyan Jakhole village, where the police team again took them on, killing two terrorists in the fight.Four policemen were martyred in the gunfight while three others, including Deputy SP (Border) were injured.Joint forces started a massive ‘seek & destroy’ operation in the area, which was later expanded to higher reaches of Kathua and Rajouri district.A brief gunfight took part in Billawar area of Kathua between the joint forces and the terrorists.Following the Billawar gunfight, two more anti-terrorist operations were started, one in Udhampur and the other in Kishtwar district.It is yet to be officially confirmed whether or not the three terrorists killed in Kishtwar were the same, who had escaped from Kathua district.The higher reaches of Kathua district are connected with the higher reaches of other mountainous districts of Jammu division.