New Delhi:

In a significant breakthrough, one of the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) most wanted terrorists and LeT commander was killed during an encounter with security forces on Wednesday night in Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Three terrorists have been killed in the gunfight which broke out in the Redwani Payeen area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam after security forces launched a search operation late on Monday night.

Basit Ahmed Dar, a resident of Redwani Payeen, was also the commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) offshoot group, The Resistant Front (TRF) and was involved in the killings of civilians and security personnel. Apart from Dar, two LeT terrorists identified as Momin Gulzar and Fahim Ahmed Baba were also killed in the operation.

“It’s a big achievement for us as they were involved in 18 killings. These killings include those of security personnel, civilians and minorities,” Inspector General of Police Kashmir V K Birdi told NDTV.

The security forces have intensified search operations in the Union territory days after an Indian Air Force officer was killed and four others injured when their convoy was targetted in Poonch district on May 4. 

CCTV footage photographs of three terrorists believed to be involved in the attack were released on Wednesday.

The three have been identified as Illiyas, a former Pakistan Army commando, a Pakistani terrorist called Hadoon (or Hadun), and Abu Hamza, the code-name of commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
 

Srinagar:

Security forces have foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district by killing a terrorist, officials said on Monday. 

The infiltration bid in Jumagund area of the Keran sector was foiled on Sunday night.

The terrorist’s body was recovered during a search in the area on Monday morning, they. 

The search operation was still underway, the officials added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Well-trained terrorists, the challenging terrain, dense forests and now inclement weather have all played a role in the encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag stretching into the fourth day on Saturday. 

Three officers, Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Aashish Dhonchak of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles and Deputy Superintendent Himayun Bhat of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, have been killed in action, a soldier is missing and at least two more personnel have been injured. 

The terrorists are hiding in a cave atop a hill in the Gadul forests of Kokernag, which affords them protection as well as complete visibility of the actions of the joint Army and police team that has surrounded them. The narrow path leading to the cave, which offers no cover and has a sheer drop on one side, is what had cost the three personnel their lives as the team began their first offensive in the early hours of Wednesday. 

Drones, rocket launchers and mortar shells have all been used, but the forces have not been able to achieve domination of the area yet. Officials say they are confident of neutralising the terrorists at the earliest. 

What has the establishment worried, however, is that this is one of three encounters in Jammu and Kashmir in five days and comes amid an uptick in terrorist activity in the Pir Panjal region, which covers the Poonch and Rajouri districts. Former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid said the Anantnag encounter points to yet another change in strategy by terrorists and their backers in Pakistan.

Tough Terrain

Highly placed sources have told NDTV that the forces first got intelligence about terrorists hiding in the Gadul forests on Tuesday night and, on learning that they were atop a hill, a decision to attack was taken in the early hours of Wednesday. 

 “The path the forces have to take to get to the top of the hill is quite challenging. It is very narrow and there are mountains and a dense forest on one side and a deep ditch on the other. The personnel began the ascent in the night, and the darkness made it worse,” said a source. 

Seeing the forces ascend, the terrorists began firing at the personnel, who found themselves cornered. This is when the three officers were injured, but the limited options for extraction meant that they could not be taken to hospital until morning. 

Well-Stocked, Well-Trained

According to the sources, the terrorists have adequate stocks of arms, ammunition and even food, which is evidenced by the fact that they have managed to hold out for nearly 90 hours. They said the number of terrorists is also likely to be more than the two-three that is being mentioned in most reports. 

A recent Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit, Uzair Khan, is among the terrorists holed up in the cave. He is believed to know the area very well and the terrorists are benefiting from this. 

“Ordinary terrorists cannot stretch an encounter for so long. They are very well-trained and have good weapons. It is also possible that an informer may have double-crossed the forces or someone may have leaked their movements,” said a source. 

Rain, And A Fire

Bursts of heavy rain since Saturday morning have made the operation more difficult both by reducing visibility and by making it harder for drones to operate. A fire also broke out near the cave where the terrorists are hiding. 

‘Changing Strategy’

Two terrorists were gunned down in a two-day encounter in Rajouri district’s Narla area, which began on Tuesday, and three were killed in the Uri sector of Baramulla when they were attempting to cross into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Army said Pakistani forces gave covering fire to help the terrorists cross the Line of Control and the gunfire from the other side also “interfered” with their efforts to retrieve the body of the third terrorist. 

The Baramulla encounter makes it the forces’ third brush with terrorists in just five days. 

On the encounter in Anantnag, former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid told NDTV, “The operation in Anantnag is taking place in a hilly area and there is a 75-80 degree steep climb. There is a dense forest on one side and a ditch on the other. It is very difficult for our forces when the terrorists hide in such a place. The terrorists are at a height and the personnel become vulnerable to attack when they try to ascend.”

“This seems to be a new strategy. A similar thing was also seen in Rajouri-Poonch recently, where the terrorists chose a hilly and forested area to hide in. For some time now, I have been noticing  that the terrorists have been changing their strategy on the instructions of the Pakistani establishment,” he said.

Mr Vaid pointed out that when the Indian security forces began Operation All Out in 2017, thousands of terrorists were killed and they also began facing a shortage of AK-47s. He said there was a change in policy then and the terrorists started using pistols and small arms to target migrants, labourers and panchayat members in Kashmir in a bid to derail development. A spate of such incidents was seen last year. 

Seeking international attention?

“When the forces managed to control that, a new trend is visible now, which was seen in Rajouri-Poonch and now in nearby Anantnag. Unlike in the past, terrorists are avoiding inhabited areas, where they can be easily surrounded, and are now hiding in thick jungles and hilly areas. This helps them draw out the forces and harm them, and the terrain gives them a chance to escape,” the former top cop said. 

“They are trying to drag out encounters for three to four days so that they can get the international media’s attention as well. I think there has been a change in the strategy and we will have to be prepared for it,” he added. 

New Delhi:

Caught between forests and a hill on one side and a deep ditch on the other, the security forces personnel locked in a seemingly endless encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district are battling terrorists who have no shortage of arms, ammunition or food, and also have the lay of the land.

The personnel are also facing an uphill battle, literally, as the terrorists are holed up in a cave on top of the hill, and the only route to it is a narrow one with a sheer drop on one side, highly placed sources in the security forces have told NDTV. It was this path and the visibility afforded by the cave that cost the forces the lives of Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Aashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Bhat. 

The Beginning 

The sources said that the forces first got intelligence about terrorists hiding in the Gadul forests of Kokernag on Tuesday night. A search operation was launched, but the terrorists could not be found. The joint team of Army and police personnel then received information that the terrorists were on top of a hill.

Attack Starts

In the early hours of Wednesday, the forces decided to attack the terrorists. “The path the forces have to take to get to the top of the hill is quite challenging. It is very narrow and there are mountains and a dense forest on one side and deep ditch on the other. The personnel began the ascent in the night, and the pitch darkness made it worse,” said a source. 

As the forces neared the cave, the terrorists got a clear view of them and began firing indiscriminately.  Caught on the narrow path, with no cover and the very real danger of falling, the personnel had nowhere to go, and no way to retaliate. 

Colonel Singh, who was the commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, company commander Major Dhonchak – who were both recipients of the prestigious Sena Medal (gallantry) – and Deputy SP Bhat were injured in the firing.

The hail of bullets and the challenging path made their extraction – both by other personnel and a helicopter – impossible and they could be taken to a hospital only in the morning, the sources said. 

Standoff

It’s been nearly 72 hours since the encounter began and the forces have the hill surrounded. Explosives are being dropped using the Heron drones purchased from Israel, rocket launchers are being used and the personnel are firing, but the Army has still not been able to achieve domination of the area because of its challenging geography, the sources said. 

‘No Ordinary Terrorists’

According to the sources, the number of terrorists is likely to be more than the two-three that are being cited.  Among them is Uzair Khan, who joined Lashkar-e-Taiba last year. They said he has complete information about the area, which the terrorists are benefiting from. 

“Ordinary terrorists cannot stretch an encounter for so long. They are very well trained and have good weapons. It is also possible that an informer may have double-crossed the forces or someone may have leaked their movements of the security forces. Whatever it is, ending this operation has become a big challenge,” said a source. 

‘Ambush Hypothesis’

One soldier is still missing and at least two personnel have been injured. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Additional Director General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar advised retired police and Army officers to avoid going with the “ambush hypothesis”.

#KokernagEncounterUpdate: Rtd Police/Army officers should avoid “ Ambush Hypothesis”. It is a specific input based ops. Ops is in progress and all 2-3 trapped terrorists will be neutralised: ADGP Kashmir

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) September 15, 2023

“Retired police/Army officers should avoid ‘ambush hypothesis’. It is a specific input-based ops. Ops is in progress and all 2-3 trapped terrorists will be neutralised,” he said.

New Delhi:

She did everything a soldier is expected to do, including making the ultimate sacrifice – giving her own life to save another’s. She was no ordinary soldier though, but a six-year-old dog named Kent. 

An Army soldier and a suspected Pakistani terrorist were killed in a gunfight during a search operation in a remote village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Kent was leading a column of soldiers on the trail of terrorists who were attempting to flee the scene.

“Army dog Kent was at the forefront of ‘Operation Sujaligala’. Kent was leading a column of soldiers on the trail of the fleeing terrorists. It came under heavy hostile fire. While shielding its handler, it laid down its life in the best traditions of the Indian Army,”  an Army statement said. 

Additional Director General of Police (Jammu Zone) Mukesh Singh said a gunfight broke out between terrorists and soldiers during the search operation in Narla village.

“A terrorist and an Army soldier were killed while three security personnel – two Army jawans and one special police officer – were injured in the gunfight,” he said

“The special police officer, Vishal, suffered a bullet injury in his foot and is being evacuated,” a senior police official told NDTV.

The official said the search-and-cordon operation was launched in Patrara in Rajouri district on Monday following the suspicious movement of two people. A few rounds were fired as the security forces chased the suspected terrorists.

After the terrorists managed to escape, the operation spread to nearby areas, and the forces reached Narla village on Tuesday. 

Personnel from the security forces have recovered a bag with some clothes and other items, which were left behind by the suspected terrorists.