 "Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard as police and army soldiers launch an operation in Awantipora area, south of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (Photo: Dar Yasin/AP)")
Indian Army troops clashed with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district early Sunday during an intelligence-based operation, the Army’s White Knight Corps said.
Acting on specific inputs, soldiers tracked suspected militants in the Dul area and came under fire shortly after making contact. Security sources believe two to three Pakistani terrorists are trapped, with heavy gunfire ongoing. The area has been sealed off, and the operation continues, with no word yet on casualties.
Kishtwar has seen a spike in counterterror operations in recent months as forces push deeper into remote, mountainous terrain to dismantle militant networks.
The clash comes amid Operation Akhal in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, launched on August 1 after reports of terrorist movement in a forested belt. It has already claimed two militants’ lives but also cost the Army two soldiers, Lance Naik Pritpal Singh and Sepoy Harminder Singh, and left 10 others injured.
At least two to three militants remain cornered in dense forests, with elite PARA units, drones, and attack helicopters working to flush them out.