Search on to hunt terrorists
Drones, advanced equipment used for aerial searches
Area under tight security cordon
Srinagar, Apr 24: Two soldiers were injured in an ongoing gunfight between terrorists and security forces in Mulkhyama forests of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Wednesday.
Following the initial contact, security forces launched a massive cordon and search operation in Mulkhyama Forest range to track down the terrorists. However, there was no contact with the hiding terrorists till late Wednesday evening, officials said.
An Army spokesman said that based on specific intelligence by agencies regarding the presence of terrorists, a Joint Operation was launched from 21 April onwards by Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the general area of Mulkhyama Forest, Bandipore.
“The area was cordoned & search conducted, resulting in a fire fight in the early hours this morning. Operation is in progress,” he said.
A police officer said that two Army men were injured in the operation. Despite inclement weather, drones and other high-end equipment were used to track the terrorists in dense forces of Aragam in Renji Forest in Bandipora.
“The search operation is underway and it is challenging due to tough terrain and dense forests, he said.
“Tracking terrorists in dense forests is a little bit challenging due to the dense foliage, limited visibility. We are using both aerial and sniffer dogs to track the terrorists,” he added.
The officials said the entire forest belt is still under tight security cordon to track down the terrorists. “Both the injured army personnel are stable and are being treated in Srinagar based hospital,” he said.
