JeM Commander among 2 Pakistani terrorists killed in Kishtwar gunfight

After a nearly month-long hunt, a top commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was among two heavily armed Pakistani terrorists killed on Sunday in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district during a fierce gunfight with a joint team of the Indian Army, CRPF and J&K Police. The encounter took place during the ongoing ‘Operation Trashi-I’ in the mountainous region of Jammu.

The charred bodies of the terrorists were found buried under the debris of a mud hideout in which they had been hiding. The hideout was burnt during the encounter. This takes the number of Pakistani terrorists killed in the region to five over the past few days.

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The White Knight Corps of the Indian Army confirmed that two terrorists had been neutralised and war-like stores, including two AK-47 rifles, had also been recovered.

The encounter broke out in the general area of Passerkut in the Chatroo belt at around 11 am, when joint teams of the Army, Police and CRPF launched a search operation following information about the presence of two Pakistani terrorists affiliated with the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit. The terrorists, hiding inside a mud house, opened fire on the approaching troops, triggering an intense gunfight.

Troops of the 11 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 17 RR, Para Commandos, CRPF and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police were engaged in the operation.

The Chatroo forest belt has witnessed nearly half a dozen encounters between terrorists and security forces since 18 January, when Operation Trashi-I was launched to flush out Pakistani terrorists hiding in the mountainous areas of Kishtwar, Doda, Udhampur and Kathua districts.

A Special Forces soldier was killed during the operation on 18 January. Subsequently, three Pakistani terrorists were eliminated.

The White Knight Corps said: “Pursuant to credible intelligence inputs collated from JKP, IB and own intelligence sources, a deliberate joint operation was launched in the Kishtwar region under Operation Trashi-I to track and neutralise terrorists operating in the area.

“Troops of the White Knight Corps, along with J&K Police and CRPF, established contact with terrorists in the general area of Passerkut, Kishtwar.

“Following successful contact established earlier, troops of CIF Delta, White Knight Corps, in close coordination with J&K Police and CRPF, re-engaged the terrorists today at approximately 11:00 am in challenging terrain. Displaying tactical precision, seamless synergy and resolute aggression, troops dominated the encounter site, wherein two terrorists were killed.”

A search operation was continuing in the forest area.