Army commander reviews counter-terror ops amid firefight in J&K's Kishtwar

The Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma visited Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Saturday to review the counter-terrorism grid and commended the troops for their unwavering resolve in the ongoing anti-terror operation.

A firefight is underway to neutralise a group of three holed-up Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in the district.

The visit of the Army commander to the mountainous district comes after a high-level security review of the evolving security dynamics in the Jammu region, with a focus on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid on Thursday, officials said.

"Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander, Northern Command, visited Kishtwar today to review the counter-terrorism grid and operational preparedness," Northern Command Headquarters said on X.

 

The Army commander, while interacting with ground commanders and troops, commended them for their unwavering resolve in the ongoing efforts.

On Thursday, the Northern Army commander chaired a high-level security meeting in Jammu and reviewed the evolving security dynamics in the Jammu region, with a focus on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid, officials said.

The ongoing anti-terror operation in the snowbound Chatroo belt to track down and neutralise a group of three holed-up Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists is underway.

Mobile internet services remained temporarily suspended within a radius of 6 km covering Singhpora, Chingam and Chatroo to avoid misuse by anti-national elements during the ongoing operation on Friday.

The operation in the area was launched on January 18, leading to a fierce gunbattle in the Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, resulting in the killing of a paratrooper and injuries to seven soldiers.

Although the terrorists managed to escape by taking advantage of thick vegetation and challenging terrain, security forces continued their hunt despite more than 2 ft of snowfall.

Two more encounters took place between the Army and the terrorists at Mali Dana Top on January 22 and Janseer-Kandiwar on January 25, but the terrorists once again slipped deep into the forest area.

Kishtwar has seen six encounters in the past seven months as forces continue their crackdown on Pakistan-based terrorists operating in the region, which shares borders with Doda and Udhampur districts.