Eight Army personnel were injured in an encounter with terrorists in a remote forested area of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir’s Chenab Valley on Sunday, officials said.
The encounter broke out in the Singhpora area after security forces came in contact with terrorists during a search operation in the upper reaches of the district. The operation, launched around noon, has been named Operation Trashi-I by the Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps.
Officials said an intense exchange of fire between the two sides continued for several hours before subsiding in the evening. Reinforcements were rushed to the area to strengthen the cordon and prevent the terrorists from escaping.
In a post on X, the White Knight Corps said the contact was established in the general area of Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, during a joint counter-terror operation involving the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
According to reports, a search party encountered a group of two to three foreign terrorists, suspected to be affiliated with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). The terrorists allegedly opened indiscriminate fire and hurled grenades in an attempt to break the security cordon.
The troops retaliated, following which reinforcements from the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and police were deployed.
All eight injured soldiers were evacuated to hospital. Most of them suffered splinter injuries caused by grenade explosions, officials said.
A large-scale search operation is ongoing in the area, with security forces deploying drones, advanced surveillance equipment, and sniffer dogs to track and neutralise the terrorists.
