A major encounter between security forces and terrorists in Handwara entered the third day on Sunday.

The encounter, which started on Friday in Babagund, has left five security force personnel and a civilian dead. The security force personnel include three CRPF jawans and two troopers of the Jammu and Kashmir police.

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While two of the jawans lost their lives on Friday, the third reportedly succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

The administration has now reportedly deployed special forces to end the operation which has been on for around 60 hours.

A commandant of CRPF and seven other security force personnel besides some civilians have been injured in the ongoing encounter.

The forces also killed two terrorists but there is no clarity on how many more are hiding in the houses at the encounter site.

One of the CRPF jawans was killed when a terrorist presumed dead got up and started firing at the forces. The incident happened when a joint search team of Army, police and CRPF went to retrieve the bodies of terrorists amid a lull.

Inspector Pintoo of 92 battalion of CRPF and a policeman of SOG Handwara, Naseer Ahmad, succumbed to injuries at a hospital.

The encounter broke out during midnight after the joint team of Army’s 22 RR, 92 CRPF and SOG launched a cordon-and-search operation at Khanan Babagund at Langate.

Meanwhile, clashes broke out near the encounter site between the security forces and stone pelters.

The encounter began at the height of tensions between India and Pakistan over the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was taken captive by Pakistani Army on 27 February after his MiG 21 Bison was shot down during an aerial engagement with Pakistani Air Force.

Before his aircraft was downed, Wg Cdr Varthaman had managed to shoot down a PAF F-16 which was among the Pakistani fighter jets that had violated the Indian airspace in an unsuccessful attempt at bombing Indian military installations.

After more than 48 tense hours, Wg Cdr Varthaman was released by Pakistan late on 1 March, Friday, at the Attari-Wagah border.

Meanwhile, Pakistan continued to violate ceasefire at the LoC. Two minor children along with their mother were killed as mortars fired by Pakistan troops in the wee hours on Saturday exploded in their house in the Salotri village of Poonch district of Jammu.

Two Army personnel, including a Major rank officer were injured as Pakistan troops also targeted an Indian Army post at Jallas. They have been shifted to the military hospital.

Army spokesman, Lt. Colonel Devender Anand, said that Pakistan troops continued with “nefarious designes” and at about 12.30 pm again initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by shelling with mortars and firing of small arms along LoC in Nowshera Sector of Rajouri district.