Jammu, Dec 17 (IANS) A CASO (Cordon and Search Operation) was launched on Wednesday by joint forces in the Mansar area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district after locals reported suspicious movement in the area.

Officials said the locals in a village near Mansar in the district reported seeing some suspicious persons moving in the area.

“A police team immediately rushed to the area and started a CASO, which was later joined by personnel from the Army and the CRPF,” officials said.

The area includes forests, agricultural fields and other locations which are being searched by the forces.

“The security forces in the areas of Mansar and other places have been alerted,” the officials added.

More details were awaited.

In another anti-terrorist operation carried out by joint forces in Udhampur district, one policeman was killed, and two others were injured on Tuesday.

One terrorist was reportedly injured in the encounter with the joint forces. Intelligence inputs suggest three terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit had gone to a village in search of food, after which the operation was launched.

Reports said that more area has been brought under the search operation as the hiding terrorists could have escaped to the forest area.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police and the security forces have been carrying out aggressive operations against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers to dismantle the support system of terrorism in the union territory.

Drug smugglers, drug peddlers and those involved in hawala money rackets are also on the scanner of the security forces, as it is believed that funds generated by these unlawful activities are finally used to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Udhampur has witnessed four fierce encounters between the terrorists and the security forces this year. A top JeM commander belonging to Pakistan was killed in one of these encounters in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur on June 26.

–IANS

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