Jammu: An Indian Army paratrooper was injured on Wednesday during a fierce exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in the Kalaban forest area of Chatroo sub-division in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The injured soldier was airlifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur for treatment. Security forces had launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) based on intelligence inputs about terrorist presence in the area.
“As the forces closed in, the hiding terrorists opened fire, triggering an encounter,” officials confirmed. The gunfight was still underway as of Wednesday evening.
Army’s White Knight Corps Confirms Operation
Earlier, the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps posted on X:
“In an intelligence-based operation, in concert with @jk_police, alert troops of #WhiteKnightCorps have established contact with terrorists in the general area of Chhatru. Fire exchanged with terrorists. Operation is in progress.”
Series of Encounters in Kishtwar
This marks the sixth encounter in Kishtwar in the past seven months as security forces continue to target terrorist hideouts in the hilly terrain.
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September 21: Terrorists clashed with forces in Chatroo.
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September 13: Two Army personnel, including a JCO, were killed and two others injured in Naidgram.
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August 11 & July 2: Gunfights took place in Dul and Chatroo, but terrorists managed to escape.
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May 22: One soldier and two terrorists were killed in another encounter in Chatroo.
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April 12: Three terrorists were neutralised in Kishtwar.
Aftermath of Baisaran Terror Attack
The latest operations come in the wake of the Baisaran meadow terrorist attack on April 22, which left 25 tourists and one local pony owner dead. The attack, attributed to Pakistan-backed LeT terrorists, prompted intensified counter-terror operations across the region.
Authorities have since adopted a comprehensive anti-terror strategy — targeting not just armed militants but also their overground workers (OGWs), financiers, and sympathisers.
Drug traffickers and hawala operatives are also under scrutiny amid concerns that proceeds from such networks are funding terror activities in the Union Territory.
Security officials said the ongoing operation in Kalaban aims to neutralise the remaining terrorist elements active in the region and dismantle the broader terror ecosystem sustaining militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.