Srinagar: A member of the Village Defense Guard (VDG) was martyred in a firing incident on Sunday morning in a remote village in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Army initiated a search operation to flush out terrorists believed to be hiding in the area.

According to officials, the encounter took place at around 7:45 am in Panara village of Basantgarh, where a patrolling team of police and VDG encountered suspected terrorists. After an initial exchange of fire that lasted for more than half an hour, the terrorists fled towards the forest. During the encounter, VDG member Mohammad Sharif, a resident of Khaned, was seriously injured and later succumbed to his injuries.

The police spokesperson stated that following information about the movement of suspicious persons late on Saturday evening, the Jammu and Kashmir Police activated the security grid in the Basantgarh Police Station area. A police party from Picket Sang, along with VDG members, was moving towards Gala Heights when they encountered the terrorists.

One group of terrorists, consisting of five members, was encountered, while another group of four members remains untraceable. It is believed that these terrorists have infiltrated from Kathua district and are attempting to reach Kashmir via the Chenab Valley, taking advantage of the dense forest.

The Army has deployed special forces in the forest area, and a massive search operation is underway to locate and eliminate the terrorists.

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