15 May,2025 01:30 PM IST | Srinagar | mid-day online correspondent
The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire at the forces, who retaliated. Representational Pic
Three unidentified terrorists were killed during an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday, according to police reports.
Amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions, the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Nader Tral area of Awantipora in the south Kashmir district after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists, a police official said, reported news agency PTI.
The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire at the forces, who retaliated, a police official informed, reported PTI.
The three terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire. The identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists were yet to be ascertained, the official stated, reported PTI.
Police stated that the operation is still in progress, reported PTI.
India and Pakistan on Wednesday handed each other's border-guarding personnel captured by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Pakistan Rangers, respectively, at the International Borders (IB) between the two countries, officials said.
BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw was handed over to India, 21 days after he was apprehended by the Rangers along the International Border in Punjab.
The constable, who hails from Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district, was handed over to the BSF by Pakistan Rangers at 10.30 am via the Attari-Wagah border front in Punjab.
Shaw was apprehended by the Rangers on April 23 along the India-Pakistan International Border in Ferozepur district, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack.
The officials said a Pakistan Ranger apprehended by the BSF from the Rajasthan border on May 3 was also handed back to the neighbouring country.
Shaw had "inadvertently" crossed over to the Pakistan territory while on operational duty in the Ferozepur sector on April 23, around 11.50 am and was detained by the Pak Rangers, he said.
The officials said that the jawan will undergo a full body check-up and medical test, followed by a counselling and âdebriefing' session where he will be asked "relevant questions" by the BSF officials about his 21-day detention by the Rangers.
The jawan, belonging to the 24th BSF battalion, will not be drafted in active duty and will also be part of an official inquiry to look into the sequence of his apprehension by the Rangers and find lapses, if any, they said.
The spokesperson said the handover of the jawan at the border "was conducted peacefully and in accordance with established protocols."
(With inputs from PTI)
