Army personnel near the site of the ongoing encounter between security forces and terrorists at Saida Sukhal village in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district. (PTI Photo)
Six people, including five soldiers, were injured when militants attacked a joint checkpoint of police and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Tuesday night, marking the third terror strike in the otherwise peaceful Jammu region since Sunday evening.
The attack took place at a height of 12,000 feet above sea level in the scenic Chattergala area. The police confirmed the attack but said further details were awaited.
Sources said that around 8 pm, militants opened fire on a tin shed under which the Army and the police had established a joint checkpoint at Chhatergala bordering the Sarthal area of the Kathua district. Chattergala in Doda’s Bhaderwah area and the adjoining Sarthal in Kathua district are well-known tourist destinations that attract many tourists from across the country annually.
Militants also hurled a grenade at the checkpoint and security forces and the police retaliated, sources said. The exchange of fire continued until the early hours of Wednesday.
After the militants fled, the injured soldiers and a special police officer (SPO) were brought to the Bhaderwah hospital. Later, they were shifted to the Army’s Command Hospital at Udhampur.
Security forces and police reinforcements were sent to Chattergala, located nearly 35 km from Bhaderwah, to search for militants. The police halted all vehicle movement towards Chattergala from Bhaderwah.
The attack came close on the heels of a militant strike in the far away Saida village in the plains of the Kathua district at 7.30 pm Tuesday, in which a civilian was injured. The police neutralised one militant while searches for his absconding accomplice were in progress.
On Sunday, militants attacked a bus in the Reasi district’s Pouni area. Nine people, including seven pilgrims, were killed and 38 others were injured.
The police released a sketch of one of the militants behind the attack on the pilgrims’ bus and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information on him.
