Security forces and terrorists exchanged fire twice within a span of four hours in the Desa forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, officials reported on Wednesday. The first exchange occurred at Kalaan Bhata around 10:45 PM on Tuesday, followed by another near Panchan Bhata at 2 AM. These encounters are part of an ongoing anti-terrorist operation, during which four Army personnel were killed in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

There were no reported casualties in the latest exchanges. The terrorists managed to evade capture, taking advantage of the darkness, difficult terrain, and thick foliage, officials said. Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police had launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in the Desa forest belt, approximately 55 km from Doda town, late Monday evening, following intelligence about the presence of terrorists.

Despite the challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions, efforts are ongoing to track down and neutralize the militants, who are linked with the banned Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the officials added.

The Army, with the assistance of para commandos and aerial support from drones and helicopters, is intensifying its search operations to eliminate the terrorists who have infiltrated from across the border and taken refuge in the forest area.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Army confirmed that it has been conducting a series of joint and coordinated operations with the Jammu and Kashmir Police to eliminate foreign terrorists. These terrorists had infiltrated from across the border and were moving in the upper reaches of Udhampur, Doda, and Kishtwar districts in the Jammu region, subsequently heading towards Kashmir. “All formations of the Northern Command are committed to eliminating the scourge of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir for which the relentless operations will continue,” the Army stated.