Search operations continue in Kishtwar a day after encounter

A day after an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the forest area of the mountainous Kishtwar district, extensive search operations continued on Thursday to track down two to three militants believed to be moving in the area.

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The gunfight began on Wednesday evening in the Kanzal Mandu area of Chatroo following specific intelligence inputs. Acting swiftly, the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint operation and cordoned off the area. During the combing operation, terrorists opened fire on the search party, triggering the encounter around 7:30 pm.

However, the situation remained calm on Thursday, with no fresh exchange of fire reported from either side. The search operation, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, continued throughout the day, but no further developments were reported till the evening.

The encounter occurred on the same day the annual Amarnath Yatra commenced from Jammu, with lakhs of devotees expected to travel to the holy cave shrine in Kashmir via the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH), which passes through several forested areas in the region.

Reinforcements have been rushed to the encounter site to strengthen the cordon and prevent the suspected group of militants—believed to be armed with AK-series rifles and other weapons—from escaping. Sources believe this group has been active in the Kishtwar region for several months.

The latest encounter comes just a week after a similar gunfight took place on June 26 in the Bihali area of Basantgarh in Udhampur district, where security forces engaged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants. Despite a tight multi-layered cordon by the Army, J&K Police, and CRPF, three terrorists managed to escape from the forest area. One terrorist was killed in that operation.

Intelligence agencies have warned the Army and J&K Police about the presence of militants trained in jungle warfare operating in the forests of the Jammu region. Dense and rugged forested areas in Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Udhampur—once declared free of terrorism—are reportedly witnessing a resurgence of Pakistani-backed militants.

Despite intensified security efforts, the Border Security Force (BSF) along the International Border and the Army along the Line of Control (LoC) have not been able to fully prevent infiltration attempts, which continue to pose a serious challenge.