The Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, made a visit to Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Saturday to assess the counter-terrorism grid. He praised the troops for their dedication to the ongoing anti-terror operation.

Currently, there is a firefight in progress to eliminate a group of three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists who are holed up in the district.

The Army commander’s visit to the mountainous district follows a thorough security review of the changing security situation in the Jammu region. The focus was on enhancing the counter-terrorism grid, as per officials.

“Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, Army Commander of the Northern Command, visited Kishtwar today to evaluate the counter-terrorism grid and operational readiness,” stated the Northern Command Headquarters.

During his interaction with ground commanders and troops, the Army commander commended their unwavering commitment to the ongoing efforts.

Earlier, the Northern Army commander led a high-level security meeting in Jammu, where he examined the evolving security dynamics in the region, particularly concentrating on strengthening the counter-terrorism grid, officials reported.

The anti-terror operation in the snow-covered Chatroo belt, aimed at locating and neutralizing the three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, is ongoing.

To prevent misuse by anti-national elements during the operation, mobile internet services were temporarily suspended within a 6 km radius covering Singhpora, Chingam, and Chatroo on Friday.

The operation, which began on January 18, resulted in a fierce gunfight in the Sonnar forest near Mandral-Singhpora, leading to the death of a paratrooper and injuries to seven soldiers.

Despite the terrorists managing to escape due to dense vegetation and challenging terrain, security forces persisted in their pursuit despite over 2 feet of snowfall.

Subsequent encounters between the Army and the terrorists occurred at Mali Dana Top on January 22 and Janseer-Kandiwar on January 25, with the terrorists once again evading capture in the forested area.

Kishtwar has witnessed six encounters in the past seven months as security forces intensify their crackdown on Pakistan-based terrorists in the region, which shares borders with Doda and Udhampur districts.

(Agencies)