Srinagar: Two Army soldiers were killed, and three others sustained injuries during a fierce encounter with terrorists in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday.
Officials reported that the encounter began when a joint team of the army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Ahlan area of Kokernag, following a specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists. Two civilians also suffered bullet injuries in the ensuing crossfire.
The operation was initiated after receiving credible inputs that a group of terrorists had potentially moved into the Kokernag forests from the Doda region in Jammu, they said. As the joint forces approached the suspected hideout, the terrorists opened fire, leading to an intense exchange.
Five soldiers and two civilians were injured in the initial gunfight, reports said. All were promptly evacuated to the nearest hospital, but the evacuation process was delayed due to the challenging terrain, with the nearest motorable road located about 19 kilometers from the encounter site.
Two of the injured soldiers succumbed to their injuries while being transported to the hospital. The remaining soldiers are currently receiving treatment, with their condition described as critical.
A senior police officer highlighted the difficulties faced during the operation due to the rugged terrain, lack of road connectivity, and absence of mobile networks. "We are employing all available modern technologies to track the terrorists,” he said.
Additional reinforcements have been deployed to the area, and the operation to neutralize the terrorists is ongoing, according to the latest reports.
Earlier, the Army provided an update on the situation through a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), stating, “Based on specific intelligence input, a Joint Operation was launched by #IndianArmy, @JmuKmrPolice & @crpf_srinagar today in the general area of Kokernag, Anantnag. Contact was established, and a firefight ensued. Two personnel have been injured and evacuated from the area. Operations are in progress.”
The Army also reported that two civilians were injured due to “indiscriminate and desperate firing” by the terrorists. The injured civilians received immediate medical attention and were evacuated from the area.
This gunfight marks the first significant clash in the district after an 11-month lull. In September of the previous year, a similar encounter in Kokernag claimed the lives of three officers, including a Colonel, a Major, and a Deputy Superintendent of J&K Police.
The incident follows a series of recent high-impact terror attacks in the Jammu region, including an assault on an army convoy in Kathua and encounters in Doda and Udhampur. Over the past 32 months, the Jammu region has witnessed 70 fatalities due to terror incidents, with 52 security personnel and 18 civilians among the victims.
Security forces believe that the terrorists operating in these forested and mountainous regions are highly trained, armed with advanced weapons, including M4 rifles reportedly left behind by US forces in Afghanistan in 2021. There are suspicions that some of these militants are former Pakistani soldiers.
A defence spokesperson in Srinagar confirmed that the terrorists involved in the recent atrocities in the Doda region had crossed into South Kashmir’s Kapran Garol area from the Kishtwar range on August 5, 2024.
“Since then, the Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police have been relentlessly tracking these terrorists. Precise operations were launched on the night of August 9 and 10 in the mountainous area east of Kapran, where these terrorists were believed to be hiding,” the spokesperson stated.
The operation is being conducted in a challenging environment, with altitudes above 10,000 feet, dense undergrowth, large boulders, and rugged terrain hampering progress. "Security forces are moving carefully, and the hunt for the terrorists continues. Operations will proceed through the night," the statement added.