English
Anantnag Encounter: The encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Anantnag district in Kashmir has entered the fifth day today on Sunday even as the security forces gunned down a terrorist on Saturday in the Gadul Kokernag area which is the hotspot of the face-off which started on Wednesday early morning. The operation was stopped at night due to darkness but resumed on Sunday morning. The army fears that two more terrorists are hiding in the forests of Gadul Kokernag.
The Indian Army on Saturday for the first time in any terrorist operation pressed into service its most advanced drone Heron Mark-2 to attack the terrorists who are said to be hiding in the dense jungle of Kokernag which is a hilly area. The Heron Mark-2 drone found the terrorist and threw a grenade at him, killing him. The drone continued its mission even in heavy rain.
Apart from this, the quadcopter drone also helped in chasing away the terrorists, forcing them to come out in the open. This drone can fire bullets and grenades simultaneously from five sides and can be operated from a distance of 15 km.
According to the officials, the security forces have widened the area of operation to the neighbouring villages and fired several mortar shells towards the forest. The security cordon has been extended to the neighbouring Posh Kreeri area as a precautionary measure to ensure that terrorists don’t slip into civilian habitation, the officials said.
Apart from drones, they are also using helicopters for surveillance and search adding that the security forces fired several mortar shells towards the forest as the assault resumed on Sunday morning.
The officials said there are several cave-like hideouts in the forest area and drones were being used to pinpoint their locations to carry out attacks on the terrorists. Drone footage showed a terrorist running for cover after one such hideout was hit by shells fired by security forces on Friday.
The Northern Army commander on Saturday visited the site of the gunfight to take stock of the operational situation.
Lt Gen Dwivedi was briefed by the ground commanders on the high-intensity operations, in which hi-tech equipment is being used for surveillance and delivery of firepower, along with the high impact of precision fire being used by the forces.
The Northern Army commander inspected the drone which has been used to survey the area and track the terrorists, the officials said.
Colonel Manpreet Singh, Commanding Officer, 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonchak, Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat, and a soldier were killed by the terrorists on Wednesday.
The security forces’ sources on Saturday informed that in the Anantnag encounter, sniffer dogs, drones, helicopters, and army commandos are searching for the terrorists. Rocket launchers are also being used to target the hideout. “Terrorists have been surrounded within a radius of 4 kilometers and they will be defused/killed at any time,” they said.
The terrorists attacked on Tuesday when the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police were conducting a search operation.
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