The body of another policeman was spotted on Friday by a drone near the spot of yesterday’s fierce gunfight in the far-flung forest area of the Kathua district, taking the death toll of the police personnel to four.

Weapons of five fallen and injured cops were missing and are suspected to have been carried away by terrorists, reports said.

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Three men of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police laid down their lives while fighting the Pakistani terrorists in the Safiyan area of the Kathua district, and one was reported missing after getting wounded during the heavy exchange of fire.

Three Pakistani terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) have so far been neutralised. Seven security forces personnel, including an Army jawan, were injured in the encounter yesterday.

Five SOG personnel, including a DSP, were trapped in the dense foliage near the spot of heavy gunfight. The injured DSP was rescued with difficulty, while three other cops lost their lives, and a head constable was reported missing.

Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard by the locals as the security forces this morning resumed the operation against the terrorists who had taken position in a hideout from where intermittent firing was taking place. The joint team of the Army, NSG, PARA Commandos, CRPF, and J&K Police was cautiously advancing towards the hideout.

Drones were used to drop explosives to neutralise the heavily armed terrorists who were targeting the security forces with M-4 rifles, reports said.

The Rising Star Corps of the Indian Army last night said that terrorists fired indiscriminately on the troops and heavy firefights ensued.

A massive anti-terrorist operation has been underway for the last six days in the Hiranagar area of the district, where the terrorists are believed to have infiltrated through the International Border (IB) with Pakistan, officials said. It is not clear whether the terrorist group that had earlier this week managed to skip the cordon of the security forces in the Saniyal village.

The fresh encounter broke out yesterday near the Jakholi village in the Ghati Juthana area of Rajbagh in the Kathua district. This has been a traditional infiltration route of terrorists from Pakistan.

The encounter had started on Sunday after a group of five terrorists was spotted by locals in the Saniyal village near the IB. However, the terrorists managed to escape the cordon, and during the subsequent search operations, security forces recovered M-4 rifle magazines, grenades, bullet-proof jackets, eatables, and clothing that was identical to the three terrorists killed in Doda last year.

The Indian Army’s Rising Star Corps paid tribute to the slain police personnel. “Rising Star Corps salutes the valor & indomitable spirit of the brave police personnel who made the supreme sacrifice fighting valiantly during the ongoing Operation Safiyan in Kathua. Their courage and dedication will always be remembered”.

Meanwhile, security forces have defused an IED that was found planted near the Amarnath Shrine Board washroom in Ramsoo on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in the Ramban district.