Five days have passed since the start of the encounter with terrorists in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir as thousands of soldiers, including paracommandos, are engaged in a never-ending gunfight deep inside the impenetrable Gadol forest. The militants, who have experience in jungle warfare, are using the dangerous terrain and tree cover to keep the army at bay and prolong the conflict.
In an effort to neutralize the terrorists, three officers—two from the Army and one from the police—were killed in action during the battle that has now lasted more than 100 hours.
The two to three heavily equipped terrorists are reported to be sheltering in a strategically advantageous area of the steep and deep woodland. This reveals a fresh strategy being employed by the militants to undermine Kashmir’s security system.
These 100 hours, the troops fired hundreds of motor shells and rockets, and targeted suspected terrorist hideouts with hi-tech equipment and dropped explosives using advanced drones.
Loud explosions and heavy gunfire echo in the serene alpine forests time to time.
Army’s Northern Command chief Lt General Upendra Dwivedi visited the encounter site on Saturday where he was briefed about how troops are using the advanced equipment including drones and firepower against the terrorists.
The Army has even released a picture of the drone being used in the operation.
The joint operation by Army and police began Tuesday night based on intelligence input, followed by an attempt to approach the terrorist hideout next day. The terrorists who appear to have anticipated the action opened fire on the forces, caught between the dense forests and hill on one side and a deep ditch on the other.
Leading from the front, two Army officers – Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonchak, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Bhat – were killed in action. Two more soldiers were injured while another is believed to be missing.
