Soldiers show an automatic weapon recovered from the militants. (PTI)

Srinagar, Oct. 3: In an operation reminiscent of Kargil, the army has flushed out militants holed up inside caves and ridges at 15,000ft after an eight-day gunfight in which 13 rebels have been killed.

The army airdropped its special para-commandos at several locations on extremely in hospitable ridges of the Harmukh range whose ravines receive daily snowfall. The operation that began on September 24 has left a jawan dead.

An army officer said the operation was similar to the 1999 Kargil war when militants were holed up inside caves on mountain peaks like Tiger Hill and Tololing and the area was cleared after a three-month battle. The Siachen theatre, at around 20,000ft, is the world’s highest battlefield.

Station house officer Kangan Arshad Khan said the site of the operation is a journey of around a day-and-a-half by foot from Mushkoo Valley, an important outpost of the Kargil theatre.

Major-general V.V.S. Goudar, general officer commanding of Kilo Force, said the army received intelligence inputs on September 24 about the movement of a group of militants along the Harmukh ranges. The army sent its ground troops from three sides to plug all exit routes of the militants.

“The troops of 14, 5 and 24 Rashtriya Rifles were mobilised from three sides to intercept the militants. We had information that there is a narrow pathway used by the Bakerwals (shepherds) known as Darwaza which only a few people know and they were trying to cross through that area,” Goudar said.

The militants, who were on way to Kangan from Bandipore, could not cross the passage during the night.

The 20km stretch from Kangan, a town 40km from Srinagar, to Chammar Sar, named so after a high altitude lake, is motorable and the remaining distance is covered by an eight-hour foot journey. After the ground troops encircled the vast area, the army brought in a special force.

“Special forces commandos led by Captain Bala Karthik of 10-Para were later airdropped. There were four columns already encircling the area from the eastern and western sides to prevent the rebels from moving. For ground troops it took a full night to climb to the ridgeline and another four hours to the actual spot. In the first brush we killed three militants and one of our soldiers also lost his life,” Goudar said.