Jammu, Sep 20: An Army soldier was injured on Saturday as a gunfight broke out in Jammu and Kashmir's (J&K's) Udhampur district even as another anti-terror operation is ongoing in Kishtwar.

Officials said that in the encounter that broke out between the joint forces and terrorists in Udhampur district today, an Indian Army soldier was injured.

Acting on specific information, joint forces started an operation in the Dudu area bordering the Seoj Dhar high-altitude area between Doda and Udhampur.

When joint forces closed in on the terrorists, an encounter started which is now going on.

"Encounter is in progress. Joint teams of SOG, police and Indian Army on ground," Jammu IGP said in a post on X.

On June 26 this year, Haider, a terrorist was killed in an encounter in the Dudu-Basantgarh forest, who was a top commander of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). He had been active in the area for the past four years.

On April 25, an Army soldier was killed in the gunfight with hiding terrorists in the Basantgarh area.

Elsewhere, an anti-terrorist operation continued on Saturday in Kishtwar district while war-like stores of arms/ammunition were recovered by the joint forces in another operation in Poonch district.

Nagrota headquartered White Knight Corps of the Indian Army said on its official handle, “Contact with Terrorists. In an Intelligence-based operation in the general area of Kishtwar, alert troops of #WhiteKnightCorps established contact with terrorists at around 8 P.M. on 19 Sep 25. Exchange of fire took place. Operations are currently in progress.”

In another joint operation in Poonch district, war-like stores of arms and ammunition were recovered. “#JointOperation | Recovery of War Like Stores. Alert #WhiteKnightCorps troops while carrying out an Intelligence based joint search operation with #JKP, recovered one weapon (AK Series), four AK magazines, 20 Hand Grenades and other war like stores in Poonch Sector. #SearchOperation in progress”, White Knight Corps said in another post on X.

Joint forces have been carrying out aggressive operations against terrorists, their over ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in J&K.

Drug smugglers and peddlers are also on the radar of the joint forces as it is believed by the Intelligence agencies that funds generated by drug smuggling and hawala money rackets are finally used to sustain terrorists in the UT.

The targeting of terrorists, their OGWs and sympathisers together with drug smugglers and hawala money racketeers is part of the revised strategy of the joint forces to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terror in J&K.

In majority of drug smuggling and hawala money operations, the Intelligence agencies have been able to trace the roots to across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB).

J&K has an International Border of 240-Km length spread over Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and a 740-Km-long LoC in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora in the Valley and Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu division.

The BSF guards the International Border while the Army guards the LoC.

(IANS)

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