Paratrooper succumbs to injuries as search ops continue in Jammu & Kashmir's Kishtwar

Jammu: A paratrooper, who was critically injured in a gunfight with terrorists, succumbed to his injuries as a massive search operation to track down terrorists believed to be hiding in the upper reaches of Kishtwar district entered its second day on Monday, officials said.

The operation was launched in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatroo belt on Sunday, leading to a gunfight that left eight soldiers injured, primarily due to splinter injuries caused by a sudden grenade attack from the hiding terrorists.

The operation was suspended late Sunday night and was resumed early this morning in the challenging terrain marked by thick vegetation and steep slopes, limiting visibility and movement, officials said.

One of the injured troopers, Havildar Gajendra Singh, breathed his last during treatment at a military hospital here during the intervening night of January 18 and 19, officials said.

"The General Officer Commanding, White Knight Corps and all ranks pay solemn tribute to Havildar Gajendra Singh of the Special Forces, who made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly executing a counter terrorism operation in the Singpora area during the ongoing operation TRASHI-I. "We honour his indomitable courage, valour and selfless devotion to duty and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this hour of profound grief,” the army said in a post on X.

Multiple teams of the army, police, and paramilitary forces, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, are combing the area while maintaining a tight security cordon to ensure that the terrorists are not able to escape, the officials said.

A group of two to three terrorists allegedly affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are believed to be trapped in the area, officials said, adding the operation resumed with the first light of the day and was ongoing when the last reports were received.

Named 'Operation Trashi-I', the army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps, in a post on X on Sunday, said the security forces came in contact with the terrorists in the general area Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, during the search operation conducted as part of ongoing joint counter-terror exercises along with Jammu and Kashmir Police.

"Operations remain underway with additional forces inducted to reinforce the cordon, supported by close coordination with civil administration and security agencies," the army said, commending the troops for their exceptional professionalism and resolve while responding to hostile fire under challenging terrain and conditions.

This encounter marks the third conflict between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year. Previous encounters occurred in the Kahog and Najote forests in the Billawar area of Kathua district on January 7 and 13, respectively.

On December 15 last year, a police officer was killed in an encounter with terrorists at Soan village in the Majalta area of Udhampur district. The terrorists managed to escape, taking advantage of thick foliage and darkness.

The encounters followed a major counter-terrorist operation launched in the forest belts of the Jammu region in December last year to flush out nearly three dozen holed-up terrorists.

Operations have been further intensified in the run-up to Republic Day to ensure peaceful celebrations, amid intelligence inputs about desperate attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push more terrorists into the region, officials mentioned.