Kishtwar: Security forces, on Monday, resumed their operation to try and neutralise a group of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists holed up in the dense forests in the upper reaches of the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Eight Indian Army soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were injured while battling the terrorists on Sunday evening. Some of them suffered splinter injuries due to grenade blasts and have been airlifted to Srinagar.
The exchange of fire between the security forces and the terrorists was intense and lasted several hours, local reports said.
According to the Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps, a massive search operation is on to track and neutralise the terrorists. Reinforcements have been deployed to strengthen the cordon and neutralise the terrorists.
Named ‘Trashi-I’, the operation started around noon on Sunday after security forces came in contact with the terrorists in the general area of Sonnar, in Chatroo, during a search operation conducted as part of ongoing joint counter-terror exercises. The Army was operating along with the J&K Police.
“Operations remain underway with additional forces inducted to reinforce the cordon, supported by close coordination with civil administration and security agencies,” the Army said, commending the troops for their exceptional professionalism and resolve while responding to hostile fire under challenging terrain and conditions.
According to officials, one of the search teams came across a group of two to three foreign terrorists, suspected to be from the JeM, who fired indiscriminately and also lobbed a few grenades in an attempt to break the cordon. The soldiers were injured in this sudden attack by the terrorists.
The troops retaliated, and reinforcements from the Army, CRPF and Police were rushed in to further tighten the cordon. Advanced surveillance equipment, including drones and sniffer dogs, has been deployed to speed up the operation.
