Search operation underway in forests of Kishtwar to flush out militants

JAMMU: Security forces continued their search operation in the dense forests of Keshwan and adjoining areas in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Monday, a day after an Army officer died in a gunfight with militants holed up in the area.

The security personnel have been scouring the forest area for over four days, looking for the militants who abducted and killed two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) last Thursday.

Sunday’s encounter broke out when joint search parties of the Army and police intercepted the militants around 11 am in the Keshwan forest area. The exchange of fire went on for more than four hours.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of the Army’s 2 Para, was killed and three more soldiers were injured in the gunfight.

Officials said there has been no fresh contact with the militants since Sunday’s encounter.

They said three to four militants, responsible for the killings, are still holed up in the area and a massive search operation is underway to neutralise them.

The officials added that thick foliage and challenging topography pose a challenge for the security personnel relentlessly chasing the trail to hunt down the militants.

On Thursday evening, terrorists abducted VDGs Nazir Ahamed and Kuldeep Kumar and shot them dead in the nearby Kuntwara forest. (PTI)