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JAMMU: Security forces Tuesday launched cordon-and-search operations in the upper reaches of Kishtwar, Doda and Poonch districts in J&K after reported sightings of terror suspects.

Official sources said two groups of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, each consisting of two to three ultras, were believed to be moving in the region, which has witnessed encounters in the past.“Acting on inputs about the presence of suspected terrorists in Doda-Kishtwar forests, security forces launched an anti-terror operation in Keshwan-Chatroo valley. Drones were roped in for aerial surveillance,” an official source said.Official sources said Army personnel carried out search operations at Khanetar Top along the Line of Control in Poonch and adjoining areas on Tuesday after suspicious movements were reported. The troops were equipped with aerial surveillance support and sniffer dogs.On Nov 5, a fierce gun battle broke out between troops and terrorists in Kalaban forests, Chatroo (Kishtwar). The district has seen as many as six encounters in the past seven months, even as troops continued their hunt for Pakistan-based ultras hiding in Chatroo and adjoining hilly areas. On Dec 15, an SOG jawan was killed in a gunfight in Udhampur district’s Sohan village.