A fresh encounter erupted between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district late on Sunday night, officials said. This is the third such encounter reported in the Chatroo belt of the mountainous district within a week, amid an ongoing operation to track down a group of three Pakistani terrorists linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit.
According to officials, the latest gunfight began around 10.20 pm when a joint team of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police was carrying out search operations in the Janseer–Kandiwar forest area. As the forces advanced, they came under fire, prompting retaliatory action. Intermittent firing continued as the situation unfolded.
Despite heavy snowfall blanketing the Chatroo belt, security forces have maintained pressure on the terrorists since the first encounter on January 18 in Sonnar village near Mandral–Singhpora. The initial clash claimed the life of a paratrooper and left seven other soldiers injured.
In a post on X, the Army’s White Knight Corps paid tribute to the martyred soldier. “The #GOC, White Knight Corps and all ranks pay solemn tribute to Havildar Gajendra Singh of the Special Forces, who made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly executing a Counter Terrorism operation in the Singpura area during the ongoing Operation TRASHI-I on the night of 19 Jan 2026,” the post read.
“We honour his indomitable courage, valour and selfless devotion to duty and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this hour of profound grief,” it added.
The terrorists managed to flee the scene by taking advantage of dense vegetation and difficult terrain. However, they were tracked and engaged again a few kilometres away on January 22. While the suspects once again evaded capture, security forces did not suspend operations even as more than two feet of snow accumulated in the area on Friday, officials said.
The operation was initiated on Sunday in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatroo belt, triggering an encounter in which eight soldiers were wounded, most of them suffering splinter injuries after terrorists lobbed a grenade from concealment, officials said.
(With inputs from PTI)
