Express News Service
SRINAGAR: A day after three top security officials were killed in an encounter, the Army and police on Thursday launched a massive search operation in the forest area of Gadole at Kokernag in Jammu and Kashmir.
Drones, helicopters and new-generation weapons and devices were pressed into service to track down Lashkar-e-Toiba militants involved in Wednesday’s attack on troops.
“Our forces persist with unwavering resolve as they encircle 2 LeT terrorists, including Uzair Khan,” police posted on X, formerly Twitter. Uzair, who had joined militancy in July last year, is among the militants involved in Wednesday’s encounter.
Throughout the day on Thursday, intermittent exchange of gunfire and explosions could be heard from the forest area of Gadole. Colonel Manpreet Singh (Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles), Major Ashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat were killed in the gunfight with militants in the forest area of Gadole after troops launched a search operation to track down Lashkar militants hiding there on Wednesday morning.
Both the Army officers were decorated with Sena medals for their bravery in anti-militancy operations. Singh was awarded the medal in 2021, while Dhonchak was awarded the medal on August 15 this year.
After the killing of the three security officials, GoC 15 Corps Lt-Gen Rajiv Ghai, GoC Victor Force and J&K DGP Dilbag Singh are supervising the anti-militancy operation. The Army pressed drones and helicopters into service to locate the exact position of the militants, who are said to be hiding in cave-like hideouts in the forest area. The Army and police rushed more troops to the area.
Former J&K police chief S P Vaid said that he has got information that a local source came to the Army and police with information about a hideout of Pakistani militants and led the Colonel, Major and the DySP to the area. “This source was perhaps compromised and they were ambushed,” he said. The militant outfit, ‘The Resistance Front’, which is said to be a shadow group of LeT, has claimed responsibility for the encounter. This is the biggest hit security forces have taken in anti-militancy operations in Kashmir since May 2020.
