Jammu, Jan 19: A paratrooper critically injured during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district succumbed to his injuries, as security forces continued a massive search operation in the upper reaches of the district for the second consecutive day on Monday, officials said.
The operation was launched on Sunday in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatroo belt, triggering an encounter that left eight soldiers injured, mostly due to splinter wounds caused by a sudden grenade attack by the hiding terrorists. The search was suspended late Sunday night and resumed early Monday in difficult terrain characterised by dense vegetation and steep slopes that restrict visibility and movement.
Officials said one of the injured troopers, Havildar Gajendra Singh of the Special Forces, died during treatment at a military hospital during the intervening night of January 18 and 19. Paying tribute, the Army’s White Knight Corps said in a post on X that Havildar Singh made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly executing a counter-terrorism operation under ‘Operation Trashi-I’. The Corps honoured his courage, valour and devotion to duty and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.
Multiple teams of the Army, police and paramilitary forces, aided by drones and sniffer dogs, are combing the area while maintaining a tight cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping. Officials said two to three terrorists, believed to be affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), are suspected to be trapped in the area. The operation was ongoing at the time of the last reports.
The Army said additional forces have been inducted to strengthen the cordon, with close coordination among civil administration and security agencies. This was the third encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year, following earlier clashes in Kathua’s Billawar area on January 7 and 13.
Last month, a police officer was killed in an encounter in Udhampur’s Majalta area, where terrorists escaped using dense foliage and darkness. Security operations have since been intensified ahead of Republic Day amid intelligence inputs about attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push more terrorists into the region. (Agencies)
