Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu
Jammu, Jan 19: An Army soldier critically injured during an encounter with terrorists in the Chatroo area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district succumbed to his injuries on Monday, officials said. The gunfight took place in Sonnar village during an ongoing counter-terror operation.
The fallen soldier has been identified as Havildar Gajendra Singh of the Special Forces. Paying tribute, the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps said the havildar laid down his life while bravely carrying out a counter-terror mission under Operation “TRASHI-I” in the Singpura area on the night of January 19.
“The GOC, White Knight Corps and all ranks pay solemn tribute to Havildar Gajendra Singh, who made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly executing a counter-terrorism operation,” the Corps said in a post on X, adding that the force stands firmly with the bereaved family in their moment of deep grief.
The encounter erupted during a joint Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) when terrorists, believed to be hiding in the area, opened fire and hurled grenades at the security forces. Eight Army personnel were injured in the initial exchange. Of them, three were airlifted to advanced medical facilities, while five received treatment at a nearby hospital. Most of the injured soldiers suffered splinter injuries caused by grenade explosions.
After a night-long pause due to difficult terrain, dense vegetation and steep slopes restricting movement and visibility, the joint forces resumed the operation early Monday. Security personnel are continuing search efforts in the upper reaches where two to three terrorists, suspected to be affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), are believed to be trapped.
Multiple teams of the Army, police and paramilitary forces, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, have tightened the cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping. Officials said there was no fresh exchange of fire with the terrorists till noon on Monday.
Earlier, the White Knight Corps had stated that contact with terrorists was established in the general area of Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, during a joint search operation conducted with the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The Army said additional forces have been inducted to reinforce the cordon and praised the troops for their professionalism and determination under hostile and challenging conditions.
This is the third encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year. Similar gunfights were reported in the Kahog and Najote forest areas of Kathua district on January 7 and 13. In another incident last month, a police officer was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Udhampur’s Majalta area, though the attackers managed to flee under the cover of darkness.
The recent encounters follow a large-scale counter-terror campaign launched in the forested belts of the Jammu region in December to neutralise a group of terrorists believed to be hiding in the area. Security measures have been further intensified ahead of Republic Day, amid intelligence inputs warning of renewed infiltration attempts by Pakistan-based handlers.
Hilly districts such as Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Doda, Udhampur and Reasi remain under close watch due to reports of terrorist movement through dense forest and mountainous terrain. Despite repeated encounters, terrorists have often managed to escape using thick foliage and night cover.
During a high-level security review meeting on January 8, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, the issue of terrorist presence in the hilly districts of Jammu division was discussed in detail. The Home Minister directed security forces to carry out coordinated, intelligence-driven and sustained operations to eliminate terrorists and ensure zero infiltration across both the Line of Control and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Line of Control, stretching about 740 kilometres, is guarded by the Army, while the 240-kilometre International Border is manned by the Border Security Force.