Anantnag operation: As many as three terrorists, including Uzair khan, who is associated with the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) or TRF (The Resistance Front), have been killed, said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar on Tuesday.
"The search operation will continue as many areas are still left. We would appeal to the public to not go there. We had the information about 2-3 terrorists. It's possible that we find the third body somewhere that's why we will complete the search operation. We found the body of the LeT Commander and retrieved it, we could also spot another body. We are looking for the third body," ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar on an anti-terror operation at Anantnag.
Earlier in the day, the body of an army personnel, who had been missing since a gunfight erupted on September 13 in the Gadole area of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, was recovered on Monday. With this, the death toll of security forces killed during the ongoing operation rose to four.
The body of Sepoy Pradeep Singh (27), was recovered from the Kokernag encounter site at approximately 5 pm on September 18. The 27-year-old soldier, with seven years of service in the Army, was from Punjab’s Patiala. He is survived by his wife Seema Rani.
Pradeep Singh went missing on September 13
Singh was reported missing since September 13, when the three security personnel Colonel Manpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Aashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Muzamil Bhat were killed by the terrorists during a search operation.
Notably, the body of the missing soldier killed on the first day was recovered along with a decomposed body. The security forces recovered the decomposed body of a terrorist from the Kokernag area.
Operation enters seventh day
The search operation restarted in the area on Tuesday morning. According to sources, the search and firing operations are ongoing in pursuit of the surviving terrorists, and it is believed that there may be two in number.
Kokernag's anti-terrorist operation, which has been ongoing for the past seven days, is the longest operation in the last two decades. Intermittent firing and blasts were reported during the night and early morning today. Security officials have confirmed that a search and sanitising operation is still in progress.
Four security personnel martyred in gunfight
So far four Army and police personnel including, an army colonel, major, J-K Police DSP and an army soldier martyred in the gunfight. Forces suffered all the casualties on the first day of the encounter but the missing soldier’s dead body was recovered near the gunfight area.
The security forces have cordoned off the entire region and are tracking each and every movement of the two terrorists who are yet to be neutralised. Top police officials said that terrorists have been encircled at one area near the natural cave-turned-hideout. The security forces are using drones and helicopters for surveillance of the dense forest area with several cave-like hideouts where the terrorists are believed to be holed up.
