Kishtwar: A sniffer dog, belonging to the Army’s elite 2 Para (Special Forces) unit played a crucial role in the elimination of three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists within the dense Chhatroo forest in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
Despite being shot in the leg, Tyson, a German Shepherd, continued to track down the terrorists. He has been airlifted to a hospital and is known to be stable.
Among the terrorists killed was Saifullah Baloch, a top Jaish commander from Pakistan, who had been operating in India for nearly five years now. He carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh and was among the most wanted terrorists in the area.
It was Baloch who led the JeM module behind the July 2024 ambush on 10 Rashtriya Rifles troops that killed Capt Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra and Sepoy Ajay Kumar Singh.
Officials said that as troops advanced through dense forests and steep terrain, the K9 crawled into a concealed hideout, triggering immediate gunfire from the terrorists. Even after being shot, Tyson continued to advance, allowing soldiers to accurately pin down the hideout, as reported by The New Indian Express.
After a heavy exchange of fire, the nomadic hut in which the terrorists were hiding, caught fire. Two badly charred bodies, along with weapons and ammunition, were recovered from the spot later. The troops continued with the operation and the third terrorist was neutralised.
Security forces had been after the three terrorists for over a month now.
The encounter is being seen as a breakthrough in the ongoing Operation Trashi-I, which is focused on flushing out terrorists from Kishtwar’s dense forests and high-altitude pockets, including Chhatroo, Sonnar, Dolgam and Dichhar.
Tyson’s feat has once again highlighted the operational value of Army dogs in counter-terror missions, particularly in difficult terrain.
Another Army dog, Phantom, a Belgian Malinois, was killed in action while shielding troops during an encounter in October 2024, underscoring the risks these animals face alongside their human counterparts involved in such operations.
