Gunfight erupts in J&K's Udhampur, 3 terrorists killed
What's the story
A gunfight erupted between security forces and terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday. The encounter was initiated after paramilitary troops and police personnel received information about terrorist activity in the region. According to reports, three terrorists have been killed.
Conflict initiation
Encounter triggered by terrorist activity in Basantgarh
The encounter was triggered when a combined unit of the Army's first para and police personnel advanced toward Khandara top, acting on intelligence about a militant group's presence. The terrorists initiated firing on the search parties around 12:50pm leading to retaliation by security forces. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area following this exchange of fire.
Border incident
BSF trooper injured in unprovoked firing along LoC
The encounter in Basantgarh follows an incident on Tuesday when Pakistan Rangers opened fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu's Akhnoor sector unprovoked, injuring a Border Security Force (BSF) trooper A BSF spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating that it occurred around 2:35am and was "befittingly responded" by their forces. Since the ceasefire agreement was renewed on February 25, 2021, ceasefire violations between India and Pakistan have been rare.
Election unrest
Rising violence ahead of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls
Jammu and Kashmir will hold its first assembly polls after a decade this month. The three-phase elections are scheduled to begin on September 18, with subsequent phases on September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on October 8. While 24 seats will go to the polls in the first phase, elections will be held for 26 seats and 40 seats in the second and third stages, respectively.