Jammu and Kashmir: An encounter between security forces and terrorists broke out early Thursday morning in the Singhpora area of Chatroo, located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. A joint cordon-and-search operation was launched by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Indian Army, and paramilitary forces after receiving “precise intelligence input,” according to police sources.
Officials believe that a group of three to four terrorists from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit is currently trapped in the area. These militants are reportedly part of the same group that had escaped during an earlier encounter in the region, raising concerns of continued militant activity in the area.
Security on high alert, casualties reported
While Thursday’s encounter has not yet resulted in any confirmed casualties from the operation itself, security sources confirmed the death of a District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan in an IED blast on Wednesday evening, bringing the total number of security personnel killed to two in the ongoing counterterror efforts in the region.
The situation remains tense, with intermittent firing continuing as forces attempt to neutralise the terrorists and secure the area.
Recent surge in terror activity
The latest encounter follows a spate of anti-terror operations in the Union Territory. Earlier this month, six terrorists—three of them JeM operatives—were gunned down in two major joint operations by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army, and the CRPF in the Valley.
Security officials say these operations are part of a broader crackdown on militant networks that have reactivated sleeper cells and attempted to infiltrate sensitive regions.
Pahalgam terror attack
The spike in militant activity comes just weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead and prompted a stern response from New Delhi. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), significantly escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.