Written & Edited : Aditi Mishra
15 September 2023 ( New Delhi ) : Security forces have surrounded two Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists in a jungle in south Kashmir, according to J&K Police, including the group’s local commander Uzair Khan. On Friday, as the third day of the counter-terrorist operation in the Gadole forest in Kokernag in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir began, new gunfire and explosions could be heard. When they were attacked by Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists lurking in the area early on Wednesday, two army officers and a DSP of the Jammu and Kashmir Police paid the ultimate price.
According to authorities, army and police teams have been firing toward the location where they think the two to three terrorists may be hiding since Friday morning.
The encounter location was close to blasts in the morning, according to the locals. Since early this morning, intermittent gunfire has been heard close to the area that the security forces, who include members of the army, police, and CRPF, have surrounded. The security personnel had maintained a tight perimeter around the woodland all night, according to a Gadol resident who asked to remain anonymous.
The operation on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of Colonel Manpreet Singh, the commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Aashish Dhonchak, another member of the same regiment, and DSP Humayun Muzamil Bhat. The operation on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of Colonel Manpreet Singh, the commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Aashish Dhonchak, another member of the same regiment, and DSP Humayun Muzamil Bhat.
On social media, The Resistance Front’s falcon squad claimed responsibility for the attack and stated that it was carried out as retaliation for the recent murder of Mohammad Riyaz, a Poonch resident, in Rawalkote in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. On Thursday night, civil society members conducted candlelight vigils in several locations throughout the Kashmir Valley to honor the martyrs.
