Search operation extended to new areas to hunt down terrorist in Kishtwar

JAMMU: Despite a challenging situation in the wake of recent snowfall, the security forces on Monday extended the ongoing combing operation in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district following a fresh gunfight the previous night, officials said.

The encounter took place in the snow-bound Janseer-Kandiwar forest area of Chatroo around 10.20 pm on Sunday after one of the security search parties comprising of Army and police observed the movement of terrorists, they said.

The officials said the gunfight between the two sides continued for quite some time but the terrorists, believed to be two or three, managed their escape.

This was the third encounter in the Chatroo belt of the hilly district over the past week, amid a massive operation for holed up terrorists linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit.

On January 18, a fierce gunbattle in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora left a paratrooper martyred and seven other personnel injured.

Although the terrorists managed to escape, utilising thick vegetation and the challenging terrain, they were intercepted a few kilometres away from the site of the first encounter on January 22. However, the success again eluded the forces but they continued with their operation even as the area witnessed over two feet of snowfall on Friday.

The officials said Army helicopters were seen hovering over the scene of the fresh encounter and adjoining areas to keep surveillance as various search parties were fanned out in different directions to track down and neutralise the terrorists.

The area of operation was expanded to new areas along the Kishtwar-Sinthan road and the army has also deployed unmanned aerial vehicles and drones besides the sniffer dogs unit, they said. (PTI)