‘Foreign terrorist’ gunned down in Kishtwar encounter, anti-insurgency ops on

“Op Chhatru. Based on specific intelligence, a search and destroy operation along with @JmuKmrPolice was launched on 09 Apr in #Chharu forests Kishtwar,’’ said the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps in its social media post on X. “Contact was established late evening on the same day. The terrorists were effectively engaged and firefight ensued. One terrorist has thus far been neutralized.”

It added: “Despite hostile terrain & adverse weather, relentless operations by our brave soldiers continues”.

Giving details, official sources said that the encounter began Wednesday afternoon after some militants began firing at a team of security forces who were looking for them in the dense forests. The area, according to officials. is remote, some 3-4 hours from the nearest motorable road and was snowed under at the time when the encounter began.

The suspects then fled for higher ground while searches for them continued well into Thursday despite poor visibility, sources said.

The encounter resumed Friday afternoon and one militant was gunned down, a senior police officer said, adding that two more militants are likely to be trapped in the area.

The militant who was killed has yet to be identified, although sources say he is suspected to be a foreigner and part of the militants group involved in the killing of a Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army and two village defence guards in Chatroo area in November.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF), was killed and three soldiers injured in fierce gun battle with militants on November 10 last in the dense forests of Keshwan, Kishtwar. The militants had earlier on November 7 abducted and later killed two village defence guards, Kuldeep Kumar and Nazir, in Chatroo.

The militant outfit Kashmir Tigers has claimed the killings.

Meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in the forests of Kathua and Udhampur to look for five militants they believe crossed into the district last month. Searches are also ongoing in other parts of Jammu such as Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi and Ramban districts.