Indian Army troops established contact with terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Dul area of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir during the early hours of Sunday, the Army’s White Knight Corps said.
The encounter began after the Army, acting on specific intelligence inputs, tracked suspected terrorists in the area and exchanged gunfire soon after making contact.
Security sources said that two to three Pakistani terrorists are suspected to be holed up in the Dul area of Kishtwar, where a fierce exchange of fire is currently underway.
The Army has cordoned off the area, and the operation is currently underway. Further details on the number of terrorists and casualties, if any, are awaited.
Kishtwar, in Jammu and Kashmir, has seen heightened counterterrorism activity in recent months, with security forces intensifying operations to neutralise militant presence in remote and mountainous terrain.
The clash comes even as forces continue Operation Akhal in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, now one of the Valley’s longest-running anti-terror offensives.
The operation, launched on August 1 following specific intelligence about terrorist movement in a forested belt, has so far claimed the lives of two terrorists.
In the past 10 days, two Army personnel — Lance Naik Pritpal Singh and Sepoy Harminder Singh — have been killed, while 10 others have been injured, including two in Friday’s overnight gunfight.
Two terrorists have been confirmed dead, but at least two to three remain cornered in the dense forest. Elite PARA units are engaged in flushing them out, with drones and attack helicopters deployed to prevent their escape.
Source: News18