Soldier killed in ongoing anti-terror operation in J&K’s Kishtwar

The gunfight took place when the security forces were conducting a search operation following a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the Shingpora area of Chhatru, officials said.

Srinagar: An army soldier was killed in an ongoing gunfight between security forces and terrorists in the hilly Chatroo area of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir early Thursday morning, officials said.

According to initial reports, the encounter erupted after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation based on intelligence inputs about terrorists' movement in the border district’s Chatroo region.

“One of our #Bravehearts sustained grievous injuries in the exchange of fire and has succumbed despite best medical efforts,” Army’s Nagrota-based White Knight Corps posted on X.

The Corps said that the “fierce gunfight is continuing” and the “operation is in progress".

Sources said that a group of three to four terrorists from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit is believed to be trapped in the area. A joint operation involving the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and paramilitary forces is underway to flush them out.

As the operation in Kishtwar continues, reports said, additional forces have been rushed to the area, and aerial surveillance is being maintained to prevent the terrorists from escaping. Senior police and army officials are monitoring the situation on the ground.

The encounter comes amid a spate of intensified anti-terror operations across Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the April 22 terror attack at the popular Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, where Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists gunned down 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local resident.

Last week, security forces killed three Jaish terrorists in a gunfight in Tral, South Kashmir. That encounter came just 48 hours after three LeT militants were neutralised in a separate operation in neighboring Kulgam district, reflecting a renewed crackdown on militant groups and their support networks.

Authorities have also stepped up their efforts to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and apprehend overground workers (OGWs) and terrorist sympathisers across the Union Territory.