Three members of the security forces were injured in the shootout with armed men in a remote forested area in the higher elevations of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Sunday, the news agency said PTI.
Additional units were mobilized to eliminate the insurgents. The mission, codenamed ‘Operation Trashi-I’ by the Indian Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps, began around noon.
In a statement on the X social media platform, the White Knight Corps said defense personnel encountered militants in the vicinity of Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, during a planned search mission conducted as part of ongoing joint counter-terrorism exercises with the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
“Operations continue with additional forces to reinforce the cordon, supported by close coordination with civil administration and security agencies,” the Indian Army said, praising the troops for their exceptional professionalism and determination in responding to enemy fire in challenging terrain and conditions.
Jaish-e-Mohamma terrorists attack security forces
According to authorities, the search party encountered a group of two or three foreign terrorists suspected to belong to Pakistan’s Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) who randomly opened fire and lobbed several grenades to breach the security perimeter.
The soldiers returned fire and a backup of the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police was sent to reinforce the blockade.
There have been regular exchanges of fire between the two sides for some time, officials said. Three soldiers suffered shrapnel injuries and were later transferred to a medical facility. A large-scale manhunt is currently underway to locate and neutralize the militants, they added. State-of-the-art monitoring tools such as drones and canine units were used to speed up the mission.
This is the third clash between security forces and terrorists in Jammu territory this year. Previous conflicts erupted in Kahog and Najote forests in Billawar sector Kathua district on January 7 and 13.
On December 15 the previous year, a police official had lost his life during a battle with militants at Soan village in Majalta area of Udhampur. These militants successfully retreated and took advantage of the dense vegetation and darkness for cover.
These confrontations follow a major counter-terrorism offensive launched in the forest corridors of the Jammu zone last December to clear nearly thirty-six entrenched militants. Security efforts were further increased ahead of Republic Day to ensure stable celebrations, following intelligence reports of frantic efforts by Pakistani controllers to infiltrate more insurgents, officials said.