Jammu, Jan 31: Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma on Saturday visited Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to review the counter-terrorism grid amid an ongoing gunfight with terrorists, and lauded troops for their unwavering resolve, officials said.
A firefight is underway in the mountainous district to neutralise a group of three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists holed up in the area. The visit followed a recent high-level security review focused on strengthening counter-terror operations in the Jammu region.
“Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander, Northern Command, visited Kishtwar today to review the counter-terrorism grid and operational preparedness,” the Northern Command Headquarters said in a post on X. During interactions with ground commanders and troops, the Army commander commended their determination and operational commitment.
Officials said the visit comes days after Lt Gen Sharma chaired a high-level security meeting in Jammu on Thursday, reviewing the evolving security dynamics in the region with emphasis on reinforcing the counter-terror grid.
The anti-terror operation is currently underway in the snowbound Chatroo belt to track down and eliminate the three terrorists. As a precautionary measure, mobile internet services were temporarily suspended within a six-kilometre radius covering Singhpora, Chingam and Chatroo to prevent misuse by anti-national elements.
The operation was launched on January 18 following a fierce gunbattle in the Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, in which a paratrooper was killed and seven soldiers were injured. The terrorists managed to escape using thick vegetation and difficult terrain, prompting continued search operations despite over two feet of snowfall.
Subsequent encounters occurred at Mali Dana Top on January 22 and Janseer-Kandiwar on January 25, though the terrorists again slipped into dense forest areas. Kishtwar has witnessed six encounters in the past seven months as security forces intensify their crackdown on Pakistan-based terror groups operating in the region bordering Doda and Udhampur districts.
