Jammu, Dec 4 : A joint search operation was launched on Wednesday after a loud explosion-like sound was heard in Jammu and Kashmir's Surankote town.

Officials said a joint search operation was started after the sound was heard in Surankote town of Poonch district.

'The explosion is suspected to have occurred close to an army installation in Surankote town,' officials said adding that further details are awaited.

Terrorists have increased their activities during the last four months in the union territory in the aftermath of peaceful and people-participative Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections.

On their part, security forces, police and the army have started aggressive operations against terrorists, their over-ground workers and sympathisers.

The majority of these terrorist attacks have been reported in the Jammu division, including districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kathua, Kishtwar, Reasi and Udhampur.

Some of those dastardly attacks were carried out against unarmed innocent civilians.

Security forces on Tuesday killed a top category most wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, Junaid Ahmad Bhat of the Qaimoh area of Kulgam district.

Bhat was involved in the killings of seven civilians in the Gagangir area of Ganderbal district on October 20. The victims included six non-workers of an infrastructure company and a local doctor.

On November 2, terrorists hurled a grenade at the busy Sunday market near the tourist reception centre (TRC) in Srinagar city.

A 42-year-old woman, Abida of Bandipora district was killed and nine other civilians were injured in that grenade explosion.

Police later arrested three locals belonging to the Ikhrajpora locality of Srinagar city, who had carried out the grenade attack at the directions of terror handlers of the LeT outfit sitting across the border.

Terrorists also ambushed an army vehicle on October 24 in the Botapathri area of Gulmarg hill station killing three soldiers and two civilian porters working for the army.

The police have been conducting search operations as part of a massive crackdown on various terrorist networks, including those linked to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) across the Jammu region in particular.

Recently, raids were conducted at 56 places across four districts of the Jammu region. The large-scale operation resulted in the arrest of several over-ground workers and terror suspects, along with the recovery of incriminating materials, including electronic devices, documents, unaccounted cash, weapons and ammunition.

/IANS