Op underway, Machail Yatra not affected: Police
DIG Ramban-Doda Range, Shridhar Patil visit Kishtwar
Srinagar, Aug 11: A day after two Army personnel, civilian were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in the upper reaches of Anantnag forests, a brief exchange of fire was reported in Paddar Batam area of Kishtwar forests on Sunday morning, officials said.
A top police official told Rising Kashmir that the exchange of fire between the security forces and terrorists took place around 7 am when they opened fire on the search parties in the Paddar Batam area of Kishtwar district.
“The security forces then retaliated, and after a brief exchange of fire terrorists fled to dense forests. There was a brief exchange of fire and so far, there are no reports of injury to anyone, he said.
“Forces have been rushed to the area whereas the cordon and search operation is underway to track down hiding terrorists,” the official added.
The gunfight took place for a brief period when police assisted by the Army and paramilitary forces launched a search operation in Nownatta, Naagseni Peyaas and adjoining areas following information about movement of terrorists, officials said.
As per the police, attackers are believed to be the same group that fled after assaulting security forces in the Doda district on July 9.
The police official further said that the entire forest belt is under a tight security cordon to neutralize the terrorists. The area is mountainous and the forest is dense, making the operation both difficult and dangerous, he said.
“We have intensified with the support of para commandos and aerial support from drones and helicopters to eliminate the terrorists who have infiltrated from across the border and taken refuge in the forest area,” the police official added.
DIG Ramban-Doda Range, Shridhar Patil visited the spot in Kishtwar, where a brief exchange of firing took place. He was briefed about the prevailing security situation in the sector.
The police officials, however, assured the pilgrims visiting the Machail Mata shrine in the district of adequate security and said there was no need to panic.
“This encounter in Kishtwar has not affected the annual Machail Mata Yatra in the Paddar area. A search operation was conducted in Peyaas, Naagseni, in the morning,” he said.
As a precaution, traffic and pilgrim movement were temporarily halted, but both resumed smoothly after a short pause.
The district administration has assured pilgrims that all necessary security measures are in place to ensure their safety and has encouraged them to continue their journey with confidence. The Machail Mata Yatra, which began on July 25, is set to conclude on September 5.
On Saturday, two army personnel — Havaldar Dipak Kumar Yadav, Lance Naik Praveen Sharma — and a civilian were killed and 3 others injured in a fierce gunfight in the woods of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
