Kamal Ghorui
JAMMU: Amid heavy snowfall, a joint team of security forces has been combing the dense forests of J&K’s Kishtwar district for the past two days, following a fresh gunfight with a group of Pakistani terrorists late Sunday — the third encounter in Chatroo belt over the past week.Operation Trashi-I, launched Jan 18, entered its 10th day Tuesday. The first fire exchange between troops and terrorists occurred in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora on Jan 18, in which eight security personnel were injured, one of whom eventually succumbed. On Jan 22, another gunfight broke out with holed-up ultras in Singhpora. Yet another firefight followed on Jan 24, in which a Pakistani Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist was shot dead.“The latest gun battle began around 10.20pm when a joint search team comprising personnel of the Army, Para (Special Forces), and J&K Police’s SOG came under fire from holed-up ultras in the forests of Janseer-Kandiwar late Sunday. After trading bullets for some time, the terrorists — believed to be two or three — escaped under the cover of darkness,” an official said.Despite heavy snowfall in Chatroo belt, the troops have persisted in their pursuit of terrorists, trudging through more than two feet of snow. Officials said the area of operation has been expanded to new locations along Kishtwar–Sinthan road, with the Army deploying unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, along with sniffer dog units, to track the fleeing terrorists. Additional deployments have been arranged to seal potential escape routes and prevent ultras from slipping into neighbouring forested zones.The situation remains under close watch, and operations would continue in the region until it was fully cleared of terrorist presence, official sources said.Operation Trashi-I was launched on Jan 18, two days after security forces busted three terrorist hideouts in Kathua district on Jan 16. The fleeing ultras, however, managed to give troops the slip during encounters in Kamad Nallah, Kalaban, and Dhanu Parole areas. Recoveries included food items, utensils, cooking gas cylinder, empty M4 cartridges, logistical material, etc. Three suspects were detained for questioning in Kathua after Pakistani mobile numbers were detected in their cellphones.
