Operation to track down 3 holed-up terrorists underway following encounter in Kishtwar

Security forces in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, resumed cordon-and-search operations to track three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists after a gunbattle. Aerial surveillance, sniffer dogs, and heightened vigilance continue amid snowbound terrain, with mobile internet suspended and prior encounters reported 

Jammu: Security forces on Sunday resumed their cordon and search operation in the snowbound area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to trace and neutralise three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists believed to be hiding in the area following a brief gunbattle.

Security has been heightened in adjoining areas, with Village Defence Guards (VDGs) put in operational mode for a high degree of vigilance against any terrorist movement in the district.

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“The search operation has been resumed this morning after a night-long cordon. The operation to track down holed-up terrorists is underway,” a senior official said. They said that terrorists are continuously changing their hideouts and are on the run.

“Efforts are being made to hunt them down,” he said.

Security agencies are also keeping a close watch on those helping terrorists with food and shelter.

The operation has been continuing for the past several days.

The gunfight began when army troops re-established contact with the terrorists in the Dolgam area of Kishtwar district early Saturday, officials said.

One terrorist is believed to have been injured, reports indicate, adding that drone surveillance purportedly showed bloodstains.

This marks the fourth time in the past two weeks that contact has been established with terrorists in the area.

Backed by aerial surveillance through drones and the use of helicopters to keep a close watch in the snowbound high-altitude area of the Chatroo-Dolgam-Dichhar belt, the joint operation party consisting of Special Forces, Rashtriya Rifles units, Special Operations Group and CRPF has also inducted sniffer dogs into the operation since Saturday.

In view of the operation, mobile internet services have been temporarily suspended since Friday within a six-km radius covering Singhpora, Chingam, and Chatroo.

Kishtwar has seen six encounters in the past seven months as forces continue their crackdown on Pakistan-based terrorists operating in the region, which shares borders with Doda and Udhampur districts.

According to reports, the joint operation team sighted three JeM terrorists in the snowbound high-altitude area of Dolgam, resulting in an exchange of fire pre-dawn time on Saturday.

Earlier, the operation in the area was launched on January 18, leading to a fierce gunbattle in the Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, resulting in the killing of a paratrooper and injuries to seven soldiers.

Although the terrorists managed to escape, benefiting from thick vegetation and challenging terrain, security forces continued their pursuit despite more than two feet of snowfall.

Two more encounters between the army and the terrorists occurred at Mali Dana took place on January 22 and Janseer-Kandiwar on January 25, but the terrorists once again slipped deep into the forested area.

Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma on Saturday visited Kishtwar district to review the counter-terrorism grid and commended the troops for their unwavering resolve in the ongoing efforts.

The visit of the Army Commander to the mountainous district comes after a high-level security review of the evolving security dynamics in the Jammu region, with a focus on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid on Thursday, officials said.