Three Days In, Encounter In J&K's Anantnag District Still Ongoing; One More Soldier Missing

The counter-terror operation in the Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir's (J&K) Anantnag district, which began three days ago on the early morning of Wednesday (13 September), is still ongoing.

Three security forces personnel, including Colonel Manpreet Singh, who was the commanding officer (CO) of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles battalion stationed in the area, were killed in the encounter.

Along with Colonel Manpreet, Army Major Ashish Dhonak and Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Humayun Bhat were also killed in the operation.

According to reports, one more army soldier has gone missing in the operation, while two others have been injured. However, there are no reports about the casualties on the side of the terrorists.

The security forces have deployed a range of advanced weaponry and equipment in the operation, from hand-held small drones to long-range Heron drones capable of precision strikes.

The terrorists trapped in the encounter took advantage of the dense forest in the area and are lodged at a tactically advantageous height, reported Hindustan Times.

The security operations began following specific intelligence inputs regarding the presence of two Pakistan-based terrorists in the Gadool hamlet of Anantnag's Kokernag area.

The security forces, comprising the Indian Army and JKP, initiated the operation code-named Operation Garol in the area and established contact with the two terrorists.

The two terrorists holed up in the area are believed to be from the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) proxy front The Resistance Front (TRF).

Among the encircled terrorists, one is a local LeT terrorist named Uzair Khan.