JAMMU, Aug 11: Two Army men were martyred while two civilians injured in an ongoing operation in Ahlan area of Kokernag in Anantnag district today.
An official said that during a gun fight, two Army soldiers were critically injured. They were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.
Meanwhile on micro-blogging platform X, The Chinar Corps of Army posted: “Two civilians have also been reported injured due to indiscriminate, desperate and reckless firing by terrorists in the ongoing operation; they have been provided immediate medical aid and evacuated further. Operations are under progress”.
Earlier, a fierce gunfight erupted between militants and security forces in Ahlan Kokernag after a specific input was received by the security forces.
The official said that the operation in the area was launched by the Army two days ago after inputs about the presence of militants in the forest area.
In the meantime, a Srinagar based Defence spokesman in a statement issued here said that militants from Doda have entered Kokernag forests where the Army have launched an operation against them.
“It had been earlier confirmed through Human and Electronic means on 5th August 2024 that terrorists responsible for atrocities and incidents in the Doda region in the month of July 24, had sneaked across the Kishtwar range into the Kapran Garol area in South Kashmir. Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police have ever since relentlessly tracked these terrorists and precise operations were launched on the night of 9 & 10 Aug 2024 in the area East of Kapran, in the mountains, where these terrorists were reportedly holed up.
“Suspicious movement was observed at approximately 1400 hours on 10 August. On challenging, was immediately responded to by indiscriminate, desperate and reckless firing from terrorists in which two Army personnel and two civilians, in the vicinity were injured. The terror antecedents of the injured civilians are being ascertained,” the statement said.
The spokesman said that the hostile terrain of the area is posing challenges for the conduct of the operation.
“The area is above 10000 feet in high altitude, has thick undergrowth, large boulders, Nallahs and re-entrants that pose a serious challenge to operations. Security forces are moving deliberately and are in the process of hunting down the terrorists. Operations will progress through the night,” the statement added.
It may be mentioned here that last year in September, around a dozen security forces personnel including two Army and police officers were martyred in the area during an operation. The troops have since then tracked the movement of the militants in the forest area.
