Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Pratik Sharma visited Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Saturday to review the counter-terrorism grid, as security forces continued a firefight to neutralise three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists holed up in the mountainous region.
The visit comes amid an ongoing anti-terror operation in the district and follows a high-level security review earlier this week that focused on the evolving security situation in the Jammu region and measures to strengthen the counter-terrorism grid, officials said.
“A firefight is underway to neutralise a group of three holed-up Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in the district,” an official said.
During his visit, Lt Gen Sharma interacted with ground commanders and troops deployed in the area and reviewed operational preparedness in the challenging terrain.
“Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander, Northern Command, visited Kishtwar today to review the counter-terrorism grid and operational preparedness,” the Northern Command Headquarters said in a post on X.
The Army commander commended the troops for their unwavering resolve and professionalism in the ongoing operation, the statement said.
On Thursday, the Northern Army commander chaired a high-level security meeting in Jammu and reviewed the evolving security dynamics in the Jammu region, with a focus on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid, officials said.
The ongoing anti-terror operation in the snowbound Chatroo belt to track down and neutralise a group of three holed-up Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists is underway.
Mobile internet services remained temporarily suspended within a radius of 6 km covering Singhpora, Chingam and Chatroo to avoid misuse by anti-national elements during the ongoing operation on Friday.
The operation in the area was launched on January 18, leading to a fierce gunbattle in the Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, resulting in the killing of a paratrooper and injuries to seven soldiers.
Although the terrorists managed to escape by taking advantage of thick vegetation and challenging terrain, security forces continued their hunt despite more than 2 ft of snowfall.
Two more encounters took place between the Army and the terrorists at Mali Dana Top on January 22 and Janseer-Kandiwar on January 25, but the terrorists once again slipped deep into the forest area.
Kishtwar has seen six encounters in the past seven months as forces continue their crackdown on Pakistan-based terrorists operating in the region, which shares borders with Doda and Udhampur districts.