Fresh encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar as security forces maintain pressure despite heavy snow

The encounter occurred when a joint team of the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police was carrying out a search operation following intelligence inputs about militant movement

Srinagar: Security forces exchanged fire with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district late Sunday night, the third such gunfight in the Chatroo area within a week, officials said, highlighting the sustained counter-insurgency operation underway in the mountainous belt.

The latest encounter occurred around 10:20 pm in the Janseer Kandiwar forest area when a joint team of the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police was carrying out a search operation following intelligence inputs about militant movement. Officials said the forces came under fire during the operation and responded, leading to intermittent exchanges of gunfire.

The Chatroo region, characterised by dense forests and steep, snowbound terrain, has remained under heightened security focus since an encounter on January 18 in Sonnar village near Mandral Singhpora. That gunfight resulted in the death of a paratrooper and injuries to seven other soldiers, marking one of the deadliest recent incidents for security forces in the area.

Officials said militants involved in the January 18 encounter initially managed to evade the cordon by exploiting the rugged terrain and thick forest cover. They were later intercepted a few kilometres away during another encounter on January 22, though no major operational success was reported.

Security forces have continued extensive search and area-dominance operations despite severe weather conditions. Several parts of the Chatroo sector have received over two feet of snowfall, complicating troop movement, surveillance, and logistics. Additional deployments have been made to seal potential escape routes and prevent militants from slipping into neighbouring forested zones.

Officials said the situation remains under close watch and that operations would continue until the area was fully cleared of militant presence.