Jammu– One Indian soldier was killed and two others injured in an ongoing gunfight between joint security forces and terrorists in the Singhpora Chatroo area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, officials confirmed.
The fallen soldier has been identified as Sepoy Gaykar Sandip Pandurang, a resident of Karandi village in Akole tehsil, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. The two injured personnel have been evacuated and are receiving medical treatment, officials said.
While earlier reports suggested that two terrorists had been killed in the encounter, there has been no official confirmation of militant casualties at this time.
The joint operation—comprising personnel from 2 Para, 11 Rashtriya Rifles, 7 Assam Rifles, and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police—was launched early Thursday morning following intelligence inputs about the presence of three to four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists in the area.
“After receiving specific intel, a cordon and search operation (CASO) was initiated. As security forces closed in, the terrorists opened fire, triggering a fierce exchange that is still ongoing,” an official reported.
The Indian Army’s White Knight Corps, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), confirmed the operation, stating:
“Contact has been established with terrorists during a joint operation with @JmuKmrPolice at Chhatru, Kishtwar this morning. Additional troops have been inducted. Operations are ongoing to neutralize the terrorists.”
The operation has been named “Operation Trashi.”
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified counter-terrorism operations following the April 22 massacre in the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, where Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists targeted civilians, killing 26 people, including 25 tourists and one local resident. Victims were reportedly separated based on their religion before being executed—a brutal act that outraged the nation.
In response, India carried out precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Muridke (near Lahore), Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakistan retaliated with heavy mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), targeting civilian areas. This led to the destruction of over 200 homes and shops, displacing hundreds of villagers who have yet to return, as security forces continue to clear unexploded ordnance in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, and Kupwara.
A ceasefire was agreed upon by the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries on June 12. However, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that India will honor the agreement only if Pakistan halts all terrorist activity originating from its soil, describing the current situation as a “probation period” for Islamabad. (Source: IANS)
