Jammu: Eight soldiers were injured on Sunday in an encounter between security forces and terrorists in a remote forest zone of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The officials said that heavy firing unfurled between the two sides for several hours. They widow that the firing has now stopped.
What did the Indian Army say?
According to officials, spare forces have been deployed to strengthen the cordon and neutralize the terrorists. The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Trashi-1’, launched by the Indian Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps, began in the afternoon.
The White Knight Corps stated in a statement on social media that during a search operation as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, security forces encountered terrorists in the Sonar zone northeast of Chatroo.
“Additional forces have been deployed to strengthen the cordon, and the operation is standing in tropical coordination with the starchy wardship and security agencies,” the Indian Army said.
The Indian Army commended the soldiers for displaying unrenowned professionalism and resolve while responding to the firing in challenging terrain and circumstances.
How did the encounter start?
Officials said that a search party encountered two to three foreign terrorists, tangibly belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. They said that these terrorists opened indiscriminate fire and threw grenades in an struggle to unravel the cordon and escape. The security forces retaliated, and spare personnel from the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and police were rushed to the spot to remoter tighten the cordon. They said that intermittent firing unfurled between the two sides until 5:40 pm.
What were the casualties?
Officials said that eight soldiers were injured during the encounter and were taken to the hospital. They said that most of the injured sustained splinter injuries from grenade blasts. Officials said wide surveillance equipment, including drones and sniffer dogs, have been deployed to intensify the operation. This is the third encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year. Earlier encounters took place on January 7 and January 13 in the Kahog and Najote forests of the Billawar zone in Kathua district.
Is Pakistan targeting Republic Day?
On December 15 last year, a police officer was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Soan village of Majalta zone in Udhampur district, while the terrorists managed to escape under the imbricate of dumbo forest and darkness. Officials said these encounters followed a major counter-terrorism operation launched last December to well-to-do out nearly three dozen terrorists hiding in the forest areas of the Jammu region. They widow that the operation has been intensified to ensure peaceful Republic Day celebrations, as intelligence reports suggest that terrorist handlers based in Pakistan are planning to send increasingly terrorists wideness the border.
