Lagatar24 Desk
Jammu: In the early hours of Thursday, another encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, resulting in injuries to at least two soldiers. The encounter erupted around 2 am in the Jaddan Bata village in the Kastigarh area when terrorists opened fire on the security search parties.
Police reports indicate that the soldiers sustained minor injuries during the terrorist firing, and efforts are ongoing to flush out the terrorists. This incident follows just two days after four Army personnel were killed while battling terrorists in the Doda region, prompting a massive search operation in the Desa and adjoining forest areas.
Sources reveal that the terrorists attacked when a unit of the Indian Army had cordoned off a school in the Kastigarh area. Some teams were resting while others had taken up positions when the terrorists launched a grenade attack on the school, injuring two soldiers. The Indian Army personnel, deployed in various ambushes and locations with tents or in open areas, have not descended to lower areas for the past week, using any visible buildings, such as the school, as tactical halts.
Earlier this week, Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik Dokkari Rajesh, and Sepoys Bijendra and Ajay Kumar Singh lost their lives during a gunfight in the Desa forest area. Troops from the Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir Police had launched a cordon-and-search operation in response to the incident. Following the encounter, security forces mobilized units from the Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police to initiate an extensive operation aimed at flushing out the terrorists. This coordinated effort targeted the Desa forest belt, a known hideout for insurgent activities, as part of their ongoing mission to restore peace and stability in the region.
In light of the rising terrorist activities in the valley, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke with the Indian Army chief on Tuesday to discuss the ground situation and ongoing operations in Doda. According to sources, the Defence Minister has given the Army a free hand and liberty to act.
The Jammu region, which remained relatively peaceful between 2005 and 2021 after security forces wiped out decades-long terrorism, has witnessed a spike in terror attacks over the past month. This includes an attack on a pilgrim bus that left nine dead and 40 injured. Terror activities resurfaced in October 2021 from the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Deadly attacks spreading to Reasi, Kathua, and Doda are attributed by the security establishment to attempts by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism in the Jammu region. Since 2021, over 70 people, including 52 security personnel, mostly from the Army, have been killed in terror-related incidents in the Jammu region.
