Anantnag encounter: Why the gunbattle with terrorists has been going on for 6 days

The encounter with terrorists in Kokernag of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district has entered the sixth day. An intense gunbattle between Indian forces and Pakistan-backed terrorists has lasted more than 120 hours. Thousands of troops including para-military commandoes are involved in the search operation inside the forests of Gadol. The fighting started on Tuesday night and four security officials, including two army men, a soldier and a policeman, were killed in action while attempting to neutralise terrorists. Colonel Manpreet Singh, commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonchak, and Humayun Bhat, deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed by the terrorists on Day 1 of the encounter. Two more soldiers were injured and another is believed to be missing. Charred body found on Day 6 Security forces have reportedly recovered a charred body in the hilly forest area. However, they are yet to identify it. There is a likelihood that the body belongs to a terrorist based on the clothing pattern, according to a report in India Today. The search operation on Monday started in the early hours amid efforts to trace the bodies of a soldier and a terrorist, which were spotted using a drone. At least two to three heavily armed terrorists are hiding in the dense Gadol forests. They are reportedly trained in jungle warfare and using the forest cover to keep forces at bay and prolong the encounter, reports NDTV. This is a new pattern deployed by them to hide from security officials, say sources. [caption id=“attachment_13137072” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Security personnel keep vigil near the site of the encounter with terrorists at Kokernag area, in Anantnag district, Saturday. PTI[/caption] Drones, mortar shells used in search op There was a gun battle between security forces and militants on Sunday, the fifth day of the encounter. Security forces encircled the hilly forest area and fire erupted near the terrorist hideout spot in Kokernag. Rains reportedly put out the blaze and hampered the onslaught. The area of operation has been widened to villages in the neighbourhood. The security cordon has been extended to the neighbouring Posh Kreeri area as a precautionary measure to ensure that terrorists don’t slip into civilian habitation, the officials said, according to a report in News18. Several mortar shells and rockets were fired toward the forest area to flush out the terrorists. [caption id=“attachment_13137092” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Security personnel stand guard near the encounter site on the fifth day of the fight with terrorists, at Gadol Kokarnag in Anantnag district. PTI[/caption] Indian Army’s Heron drones and helicopters are being used for surveillance of the forest area, where terrorists are holed up. They are using several cave-like hideouts for cover. The advanced drones help in zeroing in on these locations and dropping explosives in places where the suspected terrorists are hiding. Explosions and heavy gunfire reverberate in the forests when the fighting intensifies. On Saturday, Army’s Northern Command chief Lt General Upendra Dwivedi visited the encounter site. Ground commanders briefed him on the operation in which hi-tech equipment was being used for surveillance along with firepower along with the high impact of precision fire. Forces launched a massive assault with mortar shells.

OP GAROL#LtGenUpendraDwivedi #ArmyCdr, Northern Command reviewed the operational situation on the ongoing operations at #Kokernag forest area in #Anantnag. He was briefed by the ground commanders on the High Intensity Operations in which Hi-tech Equipment is being used for… pic.twitter.com/MggzlYb2Lh

— NORTHERN COMMAND - INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) September 16, 2023

Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, security forces neutralised two terrorists in an encounter in J&K’s Baramulla district. The counter-terror op took place near the Line of Control in Uri. **Also read: Drones, explosives & more: Inside J&K's Kokernag encounter as it enters Day 4** On Friday, Day 3 of the encounter, there were firing and blasts in the Gadol forest area. A drone footage surfaced showing a terrorist running for cover after a hideout was hit by shells fired by security forces. A soldier died of his injuries during the encounter, taking the death toll of security personnel to four. A resident of Gadol told Hindustan Times on Friday, that there was firing at intervals and the forest area was encircled by army, police and CRPF personnel. “Throughout the night, the security forces had kept a close cordon around the forest,” they said. On Thursday, police claimed to have “encircled” two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in the higher reaches of Anantnag district of south Kashmir. [caption id=“attachment_13137082” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Security personnel patrol the site of an encounter with terrorists at the Kokernag area, in Anantnag district on Sunday. PTI[/caption] The launch of the operation The joint operation by the army and police was launched on Tuesday night after receiving intelligence inputs. The army was leading the troops and was on the lookout for terrorists in a hideout when the first gunbattle began. **Also read: The many dark shades of the Kokernag encounter** The terrorists appear to have anticipated the action and attacked the forces. Colonel Manpreet Singh, who was leading from the front, was killed in action along with Major Dhonchak and DSP Bhat. While the colonel died on the spot and the other two succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. [caption id=“attachment_13137112” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Mortal remains of Major Ashish Dhonchak being taken for his last rites, in Panipat, Friday. He was killed in the encounter with terrorists in Anantnag on Wednesday. PTI[/caption] Continuous heavy firing from terrorists made it difficult to evacuate those killed and injured. The terrorists are believed to be from The Resistance Front, a Lashkar proxy. They are trained in jungle and high-altitude warfare and seem to be prepared for a long fight. With inputs from agencies