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Heavy exchange of fire between militants, security forces in J&K; jawan injured

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 28, Mar 2014, 10:59 am IST | UPDATED: 28, Mar 2014, 10:59 am IST

Heavy exchange of fire between militants, security forces in J&K; jawan injured Jammu: In a daring attack, unidentified gunmen wearing Army uniforms fired at a private vehicle in Kathua district of the Jammu region on Friday, killing one and injuring three others.

The gunmen were intercepted after a two-hour chase near an Army camp and a private college in Kalibari-Janglote belt of Kathua district, triggering a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides. An Army jawan has been injured in the encounter.

The encounter was going on when last reports came in.

"Three persons wearing Army uniform intercepted a SUV, forced out the occupants and opened fire on them at Tarnah Nallah bridge in Dayala Chak belt of Kathua district (on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway) around 0500 hours", a police officer said.

The unidentified gunmen drove away with the driver, the officer said.

After hijacking the vehicle, the gunmen attacked an Army camp near Janglote in the same district where a gunfight started between them and security personnel, the officer added.

The injured have been shifted to Government Medical College Hospital, police said, adding a high alert has been sounded by the security agencies.

Security has been stepped up at Army camps and important places in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts.

Dayala Chak, 55 km from Jammu on the Jammu-Pathankote national highway, falls under the jurisdiction of Hira Nagar police station in Kathua district which was attacked by terrorists on September 26, 2013.

Eleven people -- five policemen, a civilian, two Army men, including a major, and three terrorists -- were were killed in the 2013 terror attack.

After attacking the Hira Nagar police station, the terrorists had entered an Army camp on the Pathankote-Jammu national highway near Samba town and killed a major and a soldier.

An outfit calling itself the 'Shohada Brigade' had claimed responsibility for the twin terror attacks. However, security forces believe the Lashkar-e-Toiba was behind it.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had addressed an election rally in Hira Nagar town on Wednesday.

Kathua district is one of the voting districts for the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency where Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is fighting the elections.