March 27, 2025: Two police personnel were injured in a fresh gunfight between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Thursday. The encounter erupted near Jakhole village in Ghati Juthana, Rajbagh, around 30 km from Hiranagar, where a previous gun battle had taken place on Sunday.

Officials said the injured personnel belonged to the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and were immediately rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital in Kathua. Their condition is reported to be stable.

Security forces suspect that the terrorists engaged in Thursday’s gunfight are the same individuals who managed to flee after the March 23 encounter in Hiranagar. That operation was launched after intelligence inputs suggested their presence in a ‘dhok’—a small enclosure—in a nursery at Sanyal village, near the International Border. The firefight lasted over 30 minutes before the terrorists escaped.

A massive search operation has been underway since Saturday, involving the police, army, NSG, BSF, and CRPF. Security forces, equipped with UAVs, drones, and bulletproof vehicles, are combing the region to track down the infiltrators. Officials suspect the terrorists entered Indian territory through a newly dug tunnel or the rugged ravine route from Pakistan.

On March 24, security teams recovered four loaded M4 carbine magazines, two grenades, a bulletproof jacket, sleeping bags, tracksuits, and food packets. Additionally, materials used for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were found near the Hiranagar encounter site.

The search operation has intensified, particularly in areas leading to the Billawar forest, where security forces have tracked terrorist movement. Forces remain on high alert as the operation continues.