Srinagar: Three terrorists were killed during an encounter with security forces in Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday morning. The gunfight took place in the Chak Taper Kreeri area of Pattan, north Kashmir.

The operation turned into an encounter after terrorists fired on a search party of the forces, who then retaliated, according to a police official. The cordon was maintained throughout the night and three terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire in the morning, he said. The identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists are being ascertained, he said, adding that the operation was underway

In a separate incident, two more terrorists were killed by the Army’s Rising Star Corps in Kathua on Friday. After the operations, security forces recovered large amounts of war-like equipment. A statement was later posted on X confirming the recovery.

Earlier on Friday, two Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), lost their lives, and two others were injured in an encounter in Kishtwar district. The encounter started when a joint team of the Army and police conducted a search operation in Naidgham, located in the Chhatroo region, which links Kishtwar to south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The Army personnel injured in the gunfight were taken to the hospital, where Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar and Sepoy Arvind Singh passed away due to their injuries. One soldier suffered splinter injuries from a grenade blast, while another was hit by a bullet in the head.

These clashes occurred just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.