Jammu, Jan 19: A paratrooper critically injured during a gunfight with terrorists succumbed to his injuries as a massive search operation in Kishtwar district entered its second day on Monday, officials said.
The operation was launched on Sunday in Sonnar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatroo belt, leading to a gunfight that left eight soldiers injured, mostly from splinter injuries caused by a sudden grenade attack by the hiding terrorists.
The search operation was suspended late Sunday night and resumed early Monday amid challenging terrain marked by thick vegetation and steep slopes, which limited visibility and movement, officials added.
Havildar Gajendra Singh, one of the injured troopers, passed away during treatment at a military hospital on the night of January 18–19, officials confirmed.
“The General Officer Commanding, 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 Singpora area during Operation TRASHI-I. We honour his courage, valour, and selfless devotion to duty and stand firmly with his bereaved family in this hour of grief,” the army said in a post on X.
Multiple teams from the army, police, and paramilitary forces, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, continue to comb the area while maintaining a tight security cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping.
Officials said a group of two to three terrorists, allegedly affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), is believed to be trapped in the area. The operation resumed at first light and was ongoing when the last reports were received.
Named Operation TRASHI-I, the army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said on X that security forces came into contact with terrorists in Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, during joint counter-terror exercises with Jammu and Kashmir Police.
“Operations remain underway with additional forces deployed to reinforce the cordon, supported by close coordination with civil administration and security agencies,” the army said, commending the troops for their professionalism and resolve under hostile fire and challenging conditions.
This encounter is the third between security forces and terrorists in the Jammu region this year. Earlier clashes took place in the Kahog and Najote forests in the Billawar area of Kathua district on January 7 and 13.
On December 15 last year, a police officer was killed in a gunfight with terrorists at Soan village in Majalta, Udhampur district. The terrorists escaped under the cover of darkness and thick foliage.
The encounters follow a major counter-terror operation in the Jammu region’s forest belts in December, which aimed to flush out nearly three dozen holed-up terrorists.
Operations have been intensified ahead of Republic Day to ensure peaceful celebrations, amid intelligence inputs warning of attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to infiltrate more terrorists into the region, officials said. ……(Agencies)
