Three terrorists trapped as gunfight erupts in Kishtwar
Security forces keep strict surveillance through copters and drones
A gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces in the forest area of mountainous Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
Based on specific information about the presence of terrorists, a contingent of police, CRPF and paramilitary personnel launched a joint combing and search operation in Hadal Gal area of Kishtwar, a security official said.
“During the search operation, terrorists fired on the security personnel in the Khankoo forest area located between Dachhan and Nagseni. The fire was returned by the troops, triggering an encounter,” he added. The intermittent exchange of gunfire between the two sides continued for some time. Additional troops and surveillance equipment was rushed to the area to tighten the siege and prevent terrorists from escaping from the area.
Security forces were maintaining tight surveillance of the area through helicopters and drones. The specially trained para-commandos are also assisting the troops in the operation.
It is suspected that three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists are trapped in the area. One of the trapped terrorists is said to be top commander Mohammad Amin alias Jahangir, who is one of the wanted terrorists in the region, as per sources. He carries a reward of ` 30 lakh.
This is the second encounter between terrorists and security forces in Kishtwar district this month. On July 2, a similar encounter took place in Chatroo forest area of the district. However, during the three-day long search operation, the trapped terrorists managed to escape.
On May 22, a soldier was killed in gunfight with terrorists at Chatroo area of Kishtwar. Kishtwar, a part of the Jammu region, has witnessed many encounters in the last few years.
Security officials suspect that some highly trained Pakistani terrorists assisted by some locals are hiding in the dense forest area of Kishtwar.
The terrorists, according to security forces, use the dense forest area and caves in the mountain areas as their hide-outs. They have also used these hide-outs to launch attacks on security forces and inflict casualties on them.
Forces have launched many anti-militancy operations to clear the district of the terrorists in the past. However, they are yet to succeed.
Encounters in Jammu in ’25
Feb 26: Soldier injured in encounter with militants near the LoC in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district
March 24: Gunfight breaks out between militants and troops at Saniyal village of Hira Nagar of Kathua
March 28: Four policemen and two militants killed and four security men injured in the encounter in Juthana area of Kathua
April 12: Two militants and an army man killed in three-day long encounter in Kishtwar’s Chatroo
April 25: Soldier killed in encounter with militants in Basantgarh area of Udhampur
May 22: Soldier killed in encounter with militants in the forest area of Singhpora
June 26: Jaish militant killed in an encounter with troops in forest area of Basantgarh in Udhampur
July 20: Encounter starts between militants and security forces in forest area of Kishtwar. Three Jaish militants are trapped
