Security forces on Tuesday morning gunned down two terrorists holed up in a forest area near a village in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the number of militants killed in the two-day-long operation near the Line of Control (LoC) to three, officials said.

Terming the operation "successful", General Officer Commanding of the 10 Infantry Division Maj Gen Sameer Srivastava said the terrorists had come for a "major strike". "We were ready as we were getting information continuously. They were encircled in an area and we used technology for surveillance, including unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence," he added.

Maj Gen Srivastava said the terrorists had moved into the area from the hinterland intending to target a security convoy but swift action thwarted their conspiracy.

One of the three terrorists who fired at an ambulance that was part of an Army convoy moving near the LoC on Monday morning was killed by evening in the operation that also witnessed action by special forces and NSG commandos and the use of BMP-II infantry combat vehicles.

The other two terrorists were killed on Tuesday morning in a span of two hours after joint teams of the Army and the police launched the final assault near Assan temple in Jogwan village in the Battal-Khour area, the officials said.

"We eliminated three hardcore terrorists in the operation and recovered war-like stores including an M-4 carbine and two AK assault rifles from them. It was a clean operation without any human loss on our side and completed in record time despite the challenging topography," the Army officer told reporters.

Flanked by Brigadier Kapil Taneja, commander of the 28 Infantry Brigade, and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Jammu-Kathua-Samba Range) Shiv Kumar Sharma, Maj Gen Srivastava said the purpose of the terrorists remained unfulfilled.

"An attempt was made when they fired on our convoy but the troops reacted swiftly and pinned them down to an area so that they could not escape. We are thankful to the police for exemplary coordination and the civilians for providing prompt information," he added.

Srivastava said the successful operation will thwart the terrorists' conspiracies and "they will not make any such attempt in the future".

Paying rich tributes to the Army assault dog Phantom, which sacrificed its life during the operation, Srivastava said the canine saved many lives as it was leading the search party and led to the elimination of one of the hidden terrorists.

On the use of BMP-II infantry combat vehicles, the officer said the area where the terrorists were hiding had a 30-degree gradient and dense foliage.

"The hardened vehicles were used to close in on the trapped terrorists. We want to also emphasize that the Indian Army is a professional force and no disrespect was meted out to the mortal remains of the slain terrorist," he added.

The Army officer also said that the terrorists were well-versed with the area and had come from somewhere else, and ruled out fresh infiltration from across the border.

"We had been getting information about suspicious movement for a few days," he said.

On the challenges faced during the operation, Srivastava said the biggest challenge was the presence of the civilian population and "our effort was to ensure that no harm is caused to them".

"The dense foliage and terrain also posed a challenge which was overcome by the successful use of technology," he added.

Srivastava said there was no deliberate attempt to damage the temple where the terrorists appeared first and one of them had taken shelter in the basement.

The DIG hailed the people of Akhnoor as nationalists and said their timely information about the terrorists led to the mobilisation of the forces and foiled their designs.

"It was a well-coordinated operation," he said, adding that the terrorists are employing new ways of infiltration and trying to carry out sensational attacks to create terror.

Sharma added that the forces were ready to neutralise all threats.

He said police have registered a case and further investigations are on.

Earlier, the Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said that after overnight surveillance, "an intense firefight unfolded today morning, resulting in a significant victory for our forces. Relentless operations and tactical excellence have led to the elimination of three terrorists." "The operation also saw the successful recovery of war-like stores, marking a critical step in maintaining security in the region," the Army posted on X.

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

A couple of deafening explosions followed by intense firing continued for over an hour before the second terrorist was killed, they said, adding that intermittent exchange of fire continued for another hour before the third trapped ultra was eliminated.

The latest encounter in the Jammu region comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in Kashmir, where seven attacks have occurred in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 fatalities, including two soldiers.

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