Jammu & Kashmir terror attack: 2 terrorists killed, say unconfirmed reports

Two days after BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi kicked off Bharat Vijay Rally from Hiranagar, militants carried out two audacious attacks killing a civilian and injuring three others in Dayalchak and Janglote areas of Kathua district in Jammu on Friday.

The police said that three militants dressed in army uniform stopped a Bolero vehicle near Dayalchak area and asked the inmates to de-board and lie on the ground at around 5 am. Militants later fired indiscriminately killing one of them and injuring three others.

The police said the ultras later forced the driver to drive them towards Kathua on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway. When they reached near Janglote, they tried to attack the army camp in the area.

The vehicle carrying the suspected militants was intercepted by the Army after two hours near a private college in Kalibari-Janglote belt, resulting in heavy exchange of fire between the two sides that has left a jawan injured.

However, the alert sentry fired at the militants forcing them to take retreat. An encounter ensued with army and the police ambushing the area to track down the ultras. Security forces pressed surveillance choppers into service to track down the ultras. 

Reports said two of the ultras have been killed so far. However the security forces are yet to confirm the deaths.

"The encounter is still on," Lt Colonel Manish Mehta, defence spokesman, in Jammu told dna.

Kathua militant attack : Encounter underway pic.twitter.com/E9fTFhSMKh

— ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2014

(In Pic: Security personnel at Dayalachak area) pic.twitter.com/amk9ltKlBd

— ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2014

Kathua militant attack: Jammu-Punjab border sealed, heavy security deployed

— ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2014

Heavy firing on between militants and security forces in Janglote in Kathua district of Jammu

— ANI (@ANI_news) March 28, 2014

The encounter was going on when last reports came in.

The injured have been shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, police said, adding a high alert has been sounded by the security agencies. Security has been stepped up at Army camps and important places in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts.

Dayala Chak, 55 km from Jammu on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway, falls under the jurisdiction of Hira Nagar police station in Kathua district which was attacked by terrorists Sep 26, 2013. Eleven people -- five policemen, a civilian, two army men, including a major, and three terrorists -- were were killed in the 2013 terror attack.

After attacking the Hira Nagar police station, the terrorists had entered an army camp on the Pathankote-Jammu national highway near Samba town and killed a major and a soldier.

Sources said the militants were part of a fidayeen squad which had planned to carry out sensational suicide attack in Jammu area. Security forces are trying to find out when these fidayeen had sneaked into Jammu from Pakistan.

The attack has happened six months after fidayeen militants carried out two audacious attacks on the security forces installations in Kathua and Samba districts leaving 12 people dead including a lieutenant colonel of the army. Seven others including the commanding officer of the army camp were injured in the incident.

The police suspect that the militants sneaked into India to carry out attacks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in April.

Kathua district is a part of the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency where Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is fighting the election.

An outfit calling itself the 'Shohada Brigade' had claimed responsibility for the twin terror attacks. However, security forces believe the Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind it.

With inputs from Agencies