A paratrooper was injured and airlifted to a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur after a gun battle broke out between terrorists and security forces on Wednesday in the Kishtwar district.
Officials said that the encounter started after the Jammu and Kashmir Police, with help from the Indian Army, launched a joint operation in the Chhatru area based on intelligence about terrorists in the region.
The search operation began in the early morning, after which security forces came under fire, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
The White Knight Corps posted on X, “In an intelligence-based operation, launched in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police early this morning, alert troops of the White Knight Corps established contact with terrorists in the general area of Chhatru.”
“The operation is in progress,” the post added.
The security forces are closely monitoring terrorist movements in the mountainous district, leading to several encounters along the border of Doda and Udhampur districts.
6 encounters in past 7 months in Kishtwar
Notably, Kishtwar has witnessed six encounters over the past seven months as troops continue searching for Pakistan-based terrorists hiding in the hills.
On September 21, a group of terrorists clashed with forces in the Chhatru area. On September 13, two army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer, died and two others injured in an encounter in the Naidgram area of Chhatru.
Violent confrontations also happened in the Dul and Chhatru belts on August 11 and July 2, though the terrorists managed to escape.
On May 22, one soldier and two terrorists died during a clash in Chhatru. Further, on April 12, three terrorists were killed in Kishtwar, while the army prevented an infiltration attempt along the LoC in the Akhnoor sector.
With inputs from agencies
