JAMMU, DECEMBER 28: Ahead of the new year celebrations, the Jammu Kashmir Police and security forces on Wednesday morning averted a major terror attack and gunned down four heavily armed militants who were travelling in a truck in the national highway-44 near Sidhra bridge.
Though the identity of the slain militants was yet to be ascertained, sources believed that they owed allegiance to Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh had earlier said that 2-3 heavily armed militants have been killed. However, their number could be more, but this will be ascertained only after search of the vehicle, he added.
The driver of the truck was absconding. An alert has been sounded to nab him at the earliest, he added.
Giving details, Singh said that the police and security forces have already been maintaining high alert in view of the coming Republic Day celebrations.
In the morning around 7 am, a QRT on the national highway noticed unusual movement of a truck and started following it. At a naka near Sidhra bridge, it was stopped and the driver signalled to come down.
The driver, after coming out of the vehicle, managed to escape taking advantage of dense fog at that time.
The police and security forces when started searching the truck, the militants hiding inside it opened fire which was retaliated.
During the ensuing encounter, militants believed to be two to three in numbers were killed. The vehicle also caught fire during the exchange of fire and fire tenders were called to extinguish it so as to pave way for carrying out searches inside the vehicle.
however, after the fire was extinguished, the police during search if the vehicle found four bodies. seven AK 47 rifkes, one M4 rifke and three pistols were among various other things seized from them.
The militants appear to be part of a fresh group which had infiltrated into J&K from Pakistan side. They were hiding in a truck which was on way from Punjab to Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is reportedly holding a high level meeting to review security in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting is being attended by UT’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh among other senior officers from Jammu and Kashmir.
