A civilian, who got injured during the intense gunfight between the Indian Army and terrorists in the Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, succumbed to his injuries during the treatment on Sunday. The encounter started on Saturday afternoon in the Ahlan area of Anantnag where two terrorists were trapped, officials said. The fierce exchange led to the tragic deaths of two army personnel - Havaldar Dipak Kumar Yadav and Lance Naik Praveen Sharma. Six other people got injured during the encounter, including two civilians.
Search operation enters second day
Following the encounter, the army initiated a search operation in Kokernag woods that entered the second day today. The forces have cornered two terrorists in the forest in Kokernag. Meanwhile, another encounter started between the terrorists and security forces in Kishtwar. the search operation is underway in Kishtwar also, the Jammu and Kashmir police said.
Kishtwar encounter
The exchange of fire took place for a brief period when police assisted by the army and paramilitary forces launched a search operation in Nownatta, Naageni Peyaas and adjoining areas following information about the movement of terrorists, they said. After the gunfight, the reinforcement was rushed to the encounter site. The hunt for the terrorists is currently underway.
Recent terrorist attacks
After a short reign of peace that started with the abrogation of Article 370, terror activities have again resurfaced in Jammu and Kashmir. The recent spike was mostly witnessed in the Jammu region. Some of the deadly attacks that spread to Reasi, Kathua and Doda were attributed by the security establishment as an attempt by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism in the Jammu region. Over 70 people, including 52 security personnel -- mostly from the Army -- have been killed in terror-related incidents in the Jammu region since 2021.
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