A nearly 48-hour gun battle in the dense Kupwara forest in north Kashmir took place which resulted in the deaths of five security personnel, including three Army jawans and two policemen and an equal number of terrorists killed.

It was reported that the encounter broke out in the Halmatpora area, at least 8 kms from the Line of Control or LoC, after a police party intercepted a group of terrorists and a joint team of the Kupwara police along with companies of the Army, the Territorial Army and the CRPF were engaged in the operations as well.

It was further reported that the group of terrorists had snuck in nearly 8 kms after crossing two ridges of the Shamsabari mountain range.

The terrorists had met their ‘reception party’ after crossing the LoC and were proceeding towards Kupwara town when they were spotted by police personnel after which the terrorists, who were hiding in a mosque, began running towards the forest, during which four of them were killed by the security forces.

The fifth terrorist, who had hid himself at a height and was firing on the approaching security forces, was later killed as well.

In the encounter, two policemen Deepak Thusoo and SPO Mohd Yousuf, two army personnel Sepoy Ashraf Rather of 160 TA and Naik Ranjeet Kholka of 5 Bihar lost their lives. SPO Javaid Ahmad was injured..

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti paid tributes to the security forces' personnel killed in the encounter.