The Pir Panjal forest has proved to be a challenge for the security forces in the last few years
Two Pakistani terrorists were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri after a 24-hour-long encounter between security forces and terrorists. Four Army soldiers were killed in the gun battle yesterday in the Kalakot forests of Rajouri, while another injured soldier died today.
One of the terrorists has been identified as Qari, a Pakistani national who held a high rank within the Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was sent to revive terrorism in the region. He is an expert in IEDs, operating and hiding from caves, and a trained sniper, the Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jammu said.
"He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan front. He is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba," he said.
He has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past year and is also believed to be the mastermind of the Dangri and Kandi attacks.
Sources say the operation was launched on Wednesday morning after a man, a local Gujjar at Bajimal village was beaten by terrorists for denying food to them. The villagers reported the incident to security forces and eventually a massive anti-terrorist operation was launched in the area.
Taking advantage of terrain and forests, terrorists resorted to heavy firing on troops killing four soldiers and injuring two others.
The area was cordoned off overnight with the induction of additional security forces to ensure that terrorists engaged in the encounter did not escape from the area, which is highly forested.
Senior army commanders are supervising the operation as the army says terrorists have been injured and surrounded by troops in the forest area.
Initially, two terrorists were believed to be involved in the encounter but given how long the encounter has gone on for, officials now suspected that the number could be higher.
Among the killed soldiers, three are special forces commandos, which again highlights how officers always lead from the front during counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. In September, a commanding officer, a major of the army, and a DySP of J&K police were killed during an anti-terrorist operation in Kokernag forests in Anantnag district.
The Rajouri-Poonch stretch of the Pir Panjal forest was largely free of terrorism since 2003 but terrorism reared its head again in 2021 leading to frequent encounters in the region.
In the last two years, more than 30 army troopers have been killed in the area.
In most of the encounters, terrorists have managed to escape even as troops remained engaged in protracted operations for weeks on end.
The forest proved to be a challenge for the security forces in the last few years as terrorists use the dense forests to conceal their positions, taking advantage of the topography.
Terrorists take advantage of treacherous mountains, dense jungles, and the alpine forests to hide their positions.