Two militants were killed in a gunfight with the Indian Army along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch on Thursday evening while attempting to infiltrate from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), security sources said.
According to police sources, three militants attempted to cross into India from Poonch’s Khari Karmara sector. While two were killed in the encounter, the third managed to escape back into PoK, The Indian Express reported.
The infiltration attempt comes amid heightened security at the border following intelligence inputs warning of possible incursions. Security forces have been conducting searches in Doda and Kathua in Jammu after reports suggested that militants had moved down from higher reaches to these areas.
This development follows a significant decline in militant activity in Jammu’s Poonch and Rajouri districts throughout last year. However, sources say the ongoing searches are part of an anti-militancy strategy and an area domination exercise ahead of the summer. The operation also comes just over a week after Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police, Nalin Prabhat, visited the strategically crucial Basantgarh region.
Notably, while Poonch and Rajouri witnessed a decline in militant activity in 2024, there has been a sudden surge in incidents in districts such as Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur, and Jammu, raising concerns among security agencies.
