Jammu, Sep 13 (IANS): A gunfight started on Friday between the security forces and terrorists in Chattru village of J&K’s Kishtwar district.

“A joint team of security forces including the army and J&K police started a CASO (Cordon & Search Operation) in Chattru village. As the joint team of security forces came closer to the hiding terrorists, they fired triggering an encounter. Further details are awaited,” an official said.

Eight Assembly segments spread across Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts in the Chenab valley region along with 16 seats in the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam are going to polls in the first phase on September 18.

Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts are going to vote in the second and third phases of J&K elections on September 25 and October 1.

Hilly districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur in the Jammu division have witnessed terrorist ambush attacks against the army, security forces and civilians during the last two months.

After reports that a group of hardcore foreign terrorists, believed to be 40 to 50 in number, are responsible for these attacks, the army deployed over 4,000 trained soldiers drawn from the elite Para commandos and those trained in mountain warfare inside the densely forested areas of those districts.

Terrorists used the element of surprise to carry out ambush attacks and then disappear into the forests of these hilly areas.

The deployment of the army and the CRPF together with the strengthening of the village defence committees (VDCs) managed by local residents, has deprived the terrorists of using the element of surprise to carry out such attacks.

After the security forces started aggressively going after the terrorists both in the Jammu division and the Kashmir Valley, the terrorists are now increasingly being engaged in exchange of firing with the security forces.

“They either get killed during such encounters are remain on the run. This prevents them from surprising the security forces by carrying out sly attacks”, a senior police officer said.