Search Operation in J&K's Lasana Following Gunfight with Terrorists; Reinforcements Deployed

Synopsis
On April 15, 2023, reinforcements were dispatched to the Lasana region in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district after a short firefight between security forces and terrorists. Ongoing efforts aim to prevent terrorist escape following recent operations in the area.
Key Takeaways
- Reinforcements deployed in Lasana, J&K.
- Brief gunfight between security forces and terrorists.
- Three terrorists killed in recent operations.
- Large cache of arms recovered.
- Joint forces conducting extensive operations.
Jammu, April 15 (NationPress) Additional troops were deployed on Tuesday to the Lasana region of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Poonch district, following a brief firefight that occurred late on Monday night between security forces and terrorists.
The Army’s White Knight Corps announced on X, “Operation Lasana. Contact was made with #terrorists during a joint #operation with @JmuKmrPolice at #Lasana, #Surankote last night. Reinforcements have been deployed, and search efforts are underway to stop the terrorists from fleeing.”
Last week, three terrorists were neutralized during a three-day anti-terror operation in Kishtwar district.
According to security forces, the three deceased terrorists were Pakistani operatives, including a prominent commander from the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, Saifullah.
A significant cache of arms and ammunition was seized from the eliminated terrorists.
On March 23, five terrorists were detected in Sanyal village of Kathua district, just 4 km inside the International Border.
It is suspected that this group had recently infiltrated from Pakistan.
A team from J&K Police quickly arrived at Sanyal village and engaged the terrorists in a gunfight.
The terrorists retreated to Safiyan Jakhole village, where police forces confronted them again, resulting in the death of two terrorists.
Four police personnel were martyred during the engagement, and three others, including a Deputy SP (Border), sustained injuries.
Joint forces initiated a large-scale ‘seek & destroy’ operation in the vicinity, which was later expanded to the elevated areas of Kathua and Rajouri district.
A short gunfight occurred in the Billawar area of Kathua between the joint forces and the terrorists.
Following the Billawar incident, two additional anti-terror operations commenced, one in Udhampur and the other in Kishtwar district.
It remains unconfirmed whether the three terrorists killed in Kishtwar were linked to those who escaped from the Kathua district.
The higher regions of Kathua district are interconnected with the elevated areas of other mountainous districts in the Jammu division.