Second terrorist killed in Jammu's Akhoor, hunt for third terrorist on

Jammu: A terrorist hiding in a village in the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu region was killed during a fresh gunfight that erupted on Tuesday morning as security forces launched their final assault against militants holed up in the area, officials said.

So far, two terrorists have been killed and efforts are on to neutralize their third associate still hiding in the forest area near the Assan temple in Jogwan village, they said.

One of the three terrorists who fired at an army ambulance that was part of a convoy moving near the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday morning was killed by the evening in an operation launched by the special forces and NSG commandos.

After a night-long lull, the security forces pushed for a final assault against the holed-up terrorists around 7 am in the Bhattal Aera of Khour, leading to a fresh gunfight, officials said.

A couple of deafening explosions followed by intense firing continued for over an hour before the second terrorist was killed, the officials said, adding intermittent exchange of fire was going on with the third trapped ultra.

A four-year-old valiant Army dog, Phantom, died after being hit by a bullet during the operation.

In a first, the Army has also pressed its four BMP-II infantry combat vehicles for surveillance and strengthening the cordon around the attack site, while helicopters and drones were also deployed to locate the hiding terrorists.