A heavily armed group of suspected Pakistani terrorists attacked an army vehicle moving in a convoy near Nagin post in the Butapathri sector of Baramulla district on Thursday. Unconfirmed reports claimed that two army jawans and two army porters have been killed.

The security forces have cordoned off the entire area and launched a massive manhunt to track down the footprints of the terrorists. Unconfirmed reports claimed the porter succumbed to his injuries.

Srinagar-based Chinar Corps stated, “A brief firefight took place between the Indian army and terrorists in general area Butapathri, Baramulla. Details are being ascertained”.

Baramulla Police in a post on X also confirmed the incident of exchange of firing in the Butapathri sector late Thursday evening. “An exchange of fire took place between forces and terrorists in the Butapathri sector of District Baramulla around Nagin post. Further details will be shared after verifying the facts.”

The attack came barely hours after Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a Unified Headquarters (UHQ) meeting in Srinagar to strategise on counter-terrorism measures and plug the loopholes in the existing security grid ahead of the long winter season.

Earlier, a teenager from Uttar Pradesh was injured after terrorists fired on him in Jammu and Kashmir’s Tral on Thursday morning. This is the third terror attack in Kashmir within a week.

The teenager, Shubam Kumar,19, from Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor, suffered bullet injuries in his hand after terrorists shot at him in Batagund village in Tral. He has been admitted to the hospital and is stable.

Seven people, including one doctor and six other employees of the construction company, were killed on October 20, after terrorists opened fire at a construction site in the Sonamarg area in the Ganderbal district.

On October 18, terrorists killed Ashok Chauhan, a migrant worker from Bihar, in Shopian district. Chauhan’s bullet-riddled body was found in the Waduna area of Zainapora by the locals.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was not part of the crucial meeting convened against the backdrop of a dastardly terror attack on the construction workers of a strategic road construction project in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.

The meeting was attended by the top brass of the central intelligence agencies, senior army officers of the Northern Command, officers of the paramilitary forces part of the security grid, and the Director General of Police, J and K.

During the meeting, the senior officers shared their fresh assessment of the prevailing security situation and measures needed to further strengthen the security grid in the region. According to official sources, senior officers expressed their concern over the gaps in the security grid which led to the attack on the construction workers

of the project executing agency.

During the day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remained busy in New Delhi where he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh, and Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

Before chairing the Unified Headquarters meeting  LG had already chaired two back-to-back security reviews-first at Gagangir on October 22 where he stressed upgrading security cover at all important infrastructure projects ensuring better coordination among various security agencies. On Wednesday, the LG also chaired a security review in Srinagar and directed the security personnel to conduct a fresh security audit of infrastructure projects besides ensuring round-the-clock security checkpoints, night patrolling, and area domination in the Valley.