Jammu, Jan 19: Security forces resumed an intensive search operation on Monday morning in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to locate terrorists believed to be hiding in the area, officials said.
The operation, which began on Sunday in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatroo area, had led to an encounter after security personnel came under a sudden grenade attack from militants concealed in the dense forest. Eight soldiers sustained injuries during the exchange, mostly due to splinter wounds.
Officials said the search was temporarily halted late Sunday night because of poor visibility, dense vegetation, and steep terrain that made movement difficult and risky.
With the return of daylight, joint teams of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and paramilitary forces restarted the operation. The area has been tightly cordoned off, and additional forces have been deployed. Drones and sniffer dogs are being used to assist in combing the forested region and prevent the terrorists from escaping.
According to officials, two to three terrorists, suspected to be linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, are believed to be trapped in the area. However, no fresh contact with the militants had been established at the time of filing this report.
The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Trashi-I’, is being led by the Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps. In a post on social media platform X, the Army said troops had engaged terrorists during a joint search operation carried out with the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the general area of Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo.
The Army added that reinforcements have been inducted to strengthen the cordon and that the operation is being conducted in close coordination with civil administration and other security agencies. The forces were praised for their professionalism and determination while operating under difficult terrain and hostile conditions.
This is the third encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year. Earlier encounters were reported in the Kahog and Najote forest areas of Kathua’s Billawar region on January 7 and January 13.
Last month, on December 15, a police officer was killed during an encounter with terrorists in the Majalta area of Udhampur district. The militants had managed to flee by taking advantage of darkness and thick forest cover.
Officials said security operations across the Jammu region have been intensified ahead of Republic Day celebrations, amid intelligence inputs suggesting renewed attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to infiltrate terrorists into the region.
