In the mountainous forests of Kapran Garel in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, there was a gunbattle with highly trained Pakistani terrorists. Two soldiers died, and four others were injured in the fight. Additionally, two civilians were wounded in the gunfight. This incident adds to the toll of terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the count to 16 since May.
Following an attack on July 15th in Doda, where four Army personnel, including a Captain, were killed, security forces intensified operations in Kokernag’s forests. The Army reported that the terrorists, tracked through human and electronic intelligence, crossed the Kishtwar range into south Kashmir on August 5th, evading the manhunt in Doda.
The thick foliage, large boulders, and rugged terrain in the Kapran Garel area of Kokernag posed a challenge for security forces. On the night of August 9th and 10th, precise operations were launched in the mountainous terrain to engage the holed-up terrorists. On Saturday afternoon, security forces observed suspicious movement, and upon challenging the terrorists, an indiscriminate firing ensued. It resulted in injuries to six soldiers, two of whom succumbed to fatal shots, while the others were promptly taken to a hospital for medical care, the Army said in a statement.
OP GAGARMANDU, #Anantnag
Based on specific intelligence input, a Joint Operation was launched by #IndianArmy, @JmuKmrPolice & @crpf_srinagar today in general area Kokernag, Anantnag. Contact was established and firefight ensued. Two personnel have been injured and evacuated from… pic.twitter.com/24DEESGtGZ
— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) August 10, 2024
It was the second attack in Kokernag in the past year. In September last year, four security personnel, including Col Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish and J&KJ police DSP Humayun Bhat, were killed in a week-long operation. Two terrorists, including a senior commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), were gunned down in a counter-offensive.
Attacks on security forces have increased in the past few weeks, with five major terror attacks taking place in July last month alone. These soldiers were killed in gunfights in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on 24 and 27 July and in Poonch district on 23 July. On 15 July, a Captain and three soldiers died in Doda district, and five soldiers were killed in an ambush on a two-truck patrol in Kathua district on 8 July.
On 9 June in the Reasi district of Jammu Division, a deadly ambush on a bus claimed the lives of several pilgrims, a local driver, and a conductor. A CRPF constable was killed in a frontier village in Kathua on 12 June, while Corporal Vikky Pahade died in an ambush on a two-truck air force (IAF) convoy in Poonch district on 4 May.
Security forces have intensified searches in the dense forests and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir following a spurt in attacks to sanitize the area crowded with Pakistani terrorists. The Indian Army has stepped up its operations with increased deployment of forces in hot spots, particularly in the Jammu Division.
Ravi Shankar
