Heavy firing resumed in Jammu & Kashmir’s Nar Khas forest area of Poonch district on Friday, as security forces intensified the operation to nab terrorists hiding in the dense forest the past 12 days, officials familiar with the matter said. The army also destroyed two IEDs allegedly planted to target soldiers in the nearby Bhata Durian Forest of the district, they added.

The encounter, which is one of the longest anti-terrorist operations in recent times, has seen fierce fighting between the security forces and terrorists, who have been intermittently firing and withdrawing back into the densely forested area. Nine soldiers, including two army officers, have died in action since the encounter started nearly two weeks ago.

“Counterterror operation is on but there is no further headway,” defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.

According to army officials, heavy gunfire and loud explosions were heard early on Friday, after a lull of over 36 hours. “On Friday morning, an intense gunfight took place in the jungle. Army’s para commandos are also part of the operation. The army on Friday again used medium calibre weapons. The UBGLs were also used to blow up suspected hideouts of the terrorists,” an official said, requesting anonymity.

Forces have also recovered two small boxes in the Bhata Durian Forest, which is nearly 4 kms away from the Nar Khas forest area.

“Today (Friday), during the search operation in Bhata Durian forest by Indian Army and police, two small boxes were seen. The boxes were suspected to be the IEDs and therefore they were destroyed safely,” Col Anand said.

An official familiar with the matter said that the IEDs were planted by the terrorists to attack security forces.

This is the third instance of IEDs being detected by troops in J&K since Thursday.

On Thursday, an army patrol detected and defused an IED fitted in the branch of a tree in the forest area of Sawalkot in Ratangir ridge and later defused it. Earlier that day, security forces defused an IED in the Baramulla district of Jammu & Kashmir.

In the encounter that began on October 11 in the Poonch sector, the Army has lost nine soldiers, including two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), within four days. Five Army personnel were killed in Chamrer area of Surankote forest on October 11, while four soldiers died in another encounter in the Nar Khas forest in the Mendhar area of Poonch on October 14. Security forces on October 17 detained three people for allegedly providing logistical support to the terrorists.

On Tuesday, Army chief General MM Naravane visited Poonch and reviewed the security situation. This was for the first time the army chief visited an encounter site in Jammu & Kashmir.

Last week, the Jammu & Kashmir Police said the terrorists were believed to be hiding in the jungles since August this year. A senior police officer said that the terrorists are believed to have sneaked in the Nar Khas forests and Chamrer from Balakot.

Meanwhile, local police have issued a travel advisory for the residents and civil services aspirants in the Poonch district.

“Aspirants of district Poonch, who have to appear for civil services examination on Sunday to adopt the route DKG or Mendhar as the road between Jaran wali Gali (JWG) to Bhmiber Gali (BG) is closed as of now due to ongoing cordon and search operation (CASO) at Bhata Durian area,” Poonch police posted on its Twitter handle.