Jammu and Kashmir: Four militants trying to enter CRPF camp in Rajouri killed by security forces; search operation on

At least four militants were killed in an encounter with security forces after they tried to enter a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Rewarian Talla village, a kilometer from Sunderbani township in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, sources said. [caption id=“attachment_4409827” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Security forces during the Kupwara encounter. Image courtesy: Abid Nabi.[/caption] On Wednesday morning, a gunfight broke out after militants wearing army fatigues were hiding in the bushes near a CRPF camp. The sentry noticed suspicious movement, and after an initial warning, fired upon the militants. “A sentry saw militants approaching camp and he opened fire. They were few hundred meters from the camp,” a senior CRPF official told Firstpost, adding that the combing operation was still ongoing in the area. According to sources, the militants were cornered from all sides near a stream after additional forces, including Indian Army was brought in, and a massive gunfight erupted. Director General of Police, SP Vaid said four militants who looked like foreigners, were killed in the day-long operation. Indian Army sources said the militants infiltrated from across the Line of Control (LoC) a few days ago and were attempting a Fidayeen attack on the camp. Most of the attacks in recent months by militants from across the border have been carried out along the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu. One such attack was carried out on the Sunjuwan Army camp in which four Jaish-e Mohammad militants, and five soldiers and a civilian were killed. The encounter was one of the worst since the 2016 Uri attack in which 19 soldiers were killed. The state government ordered authorities to close educational institutions in the Sunderbani Tehsil in view of the search operation, and the district administration asked people to inform the police about any suspicious movement in the area. Last year, over 300 infiltrations were reported from the Line of Control (LoC), the highest in four years, according to figures available with the home ministry. The year also witnessed a tremendous increase in the incidents of firing and attempts made by the militants to sneak in. A majority of these attempts were foiled and the militants killed after entering the Indian side. In recent months, the tension along the borders has been replicated in the diplomatic face-off between India and Pakistan. The two countries have traded charges of diplomats being harassed, prompting Islamabad to recall Sohail Mahmood, its high commissioner in New Delhi. In January, at least 17 civilians were killed on the border while five Indian Army soldiers and four BSF personnel, including an assistant sub-inspector, died along with an intruder. More than 6,000 people have been living in shelter homes across the Jammu region. Last week, after the firing started in the relatively calm north Kashmir’s Uri region, officials said 40,000 to 50,000 residents from nearly 55 villages were impacted by the escalation. Last Wednesday, five militants were killed and five security personnel lost their lives in a gunfight in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, when they fired at an area domination party. The militants had been hiding in the forest and recently infiltrated north Kashmir.