Kishtwar encounter: 8 soldiers injured, 3 JeM terrorists trapped in security forces' cordon

Jammu (The Uttam Hindu): An encounter broke out between security forces and Pakistan-backed terrorists in Singhpora, Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Heavy gunfire from both sides injured eight soldiers and took them to hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, security forces have surrounded the terrorists.

After an overnight halt, security forces on Monday resumed a search operation in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district to nab suspected militants hiding there. The operation was launched on Sunday in Sonar village near Mandral-Singhpora in the Chatru belt, officials said.

The operation was suspended late Sunday night in the difficult terrain with dense vegetation and steep slopes, limiting visibility and movement, officials said. Multiple teams of the army, police and paramilitary forces, aided by drones and sniffer dogs, are combing the area, maintaining a tight security cordon to ensure the militants don't escape, officials said.

A group of two to three terrorists affiliated with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is believed to be trapped in the area, officials said, adding that the operation resumed with the first light of day and was continuing till the last reports came in. Officials said there has been no new contact with the terrorists.