According to the army, the encounter started after an intelligence-based operation was launched jointly by the army and police in the Chatroo area this morning.
New Delhi: A fierce encounter between security forces and terrorists is underway in the Chatroo area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. The gunbattle began early Wednesday after a joint intelligence-based operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Sources said the exchange of fire erupted in the dense Kalaban forests, where multiple teams of security personnel are conducting a large-scale anti-terror operation. The area, surrounded by rugged terrain and thick vegetation, has seen several encounters in recent months as Pakistani-trained militants continue to hide in the region’s hilly stretches.
Officials said Kishtwar and adjoining areas have emerged as a new hotspot for terrorist activity in the Jammu region, which had remained relatively peaceful for years. Over the last four years, security agencies have reported an uptick in infiltration attempts and armed engagements, attributing it to the presence of well-trained foreign fighters adept in jungle warfare.
Police sources confirmed that more than 120 anti-terror operations are being conducted daily across the Jammu region, combining speculative sweeps, targeted raids, and intelligence-led missions aimed at dismantling militant networks. These measures, officials said, are part of a broader strategy to eliminate foreign terrorists believed to be operating in the upper forest belts of Kishtwar, Rajouri, and Poonch.
Kishtwar alone has witnessed six encounters in the past seven months. On September 21, forces engaged a group of militants in the Chhatru area, while a separate clash on September 13 claimed the lives of two army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer. Earlier confrontations in Dul and Chhatru in August and July saw terrorists escape after brief exchanges of fire.
In May, a soldier and two terrorists were killed in the Singpora region, and in April, three militants were neutralised in another Kishtwar encounter. Security forces also foiled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control in the Akhnoor sector during the same period.
Heavy deployment remains in place as the ongoing operation continues, with reinforcements and aerial surveillance assisting troops in tracking down the remaining militants believed to be holed up in the forested zone.
