Armyman killed in Kishtwar encounter, forces step up hunt for terrorists

On Monday morning, security forces, after a night-long halt in the counter-terrorist operation, resumed searches in the dense forests on the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Chhatru area of Kishtwar district.

The eight soldiers were injured when terrorists, taking advantage of their dominant positions on higher ground, targeted the approaching search parties with grenades and AK-47 fire in the Singhpora area on Sunday afternoon.

While it is believed three Jaish men are holed up in the area, the operation was suspended due to the dark. No contact has been made with the terrorists for the past 12 hours, sources said.

The injured soldiers were brought down from the forests by local villagers and then evacuated to the hospital.

Sources believe two groups of terrorists, one headed by Saifullah and the other by Adil, both Pakistani nationals, have been active in the area for the last nearly two years.

Nearly 35 Pakistani terrorists are believed to be hiding in the dense forests of the mountainous Doda and Kishtwar districts in the Chenab Valley region. In winter, they have less area to move around because of the snow, giving security forces an opportunity to corner them.