The encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district has entered fifth day on Sunday with thousands of troops including para commandos locked in an endless gunfight deep inside the dense forests of Gadol.
The reports said the terrorists trained in jungle warfare are making use of the treacherous terrain and forest cover to keep the security forces at bay and prolong the encounter.
The faceoff that continues for over 100 hours started on Wednesday in which three officers, including two from the Army and a policeman, were killed in action in an attempt to neutralise the terrorists.
“The heavily armed terrorists, believed to be two-three in number, are hiding in a tactically favourable location in the dense and steep forest. This indicates a new pattern being used by the terrorists to take on the security structure in Kashmir,” reported NDTV.
“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,” it said.
Loud explosions and heavy gunfire echo in the serene alpine forests time to time, it added.
Earlier, on Saturday Army's Northern Command chief Lt General Upendra Dwivedi visited the encounter site where he was briefed about how troops are using the advanced equipment including drones and firepower against the terrorists.
The officers martyered:
The 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.
Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir at lowest level: Police chief
Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is at its lowest level and the Union Territory is slowly moving towards the policy of zero terrorism, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh has said.
He also said security forces have neutralised 40 foreign terrorists and nine local ultras so far this year.
"We are moving inch by inch towards the policy of zero terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is at its lowest level," he said during his address at the third Northern Regional Police Coordination Committee meeting, hosted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police here.
This year, security teams in Jammu and Kashmir have been able to neutralise around 40 foreign terrorists and nine local militants, he said.
Local involvement in terror activities has come down drastically. Optimum synergy among the forces has pushed the terrorists out of villages and cities to the mountains, Singh added.
Security forces, intelligence agencies and the civil administration are working together as a unique model to make Jammu and Kashmir terror free, he further said.
"There was a time when stone pelting on security forces was happening every Friday. That is now over. The Jammu and Kashmir security team has been able to ensure zero violation of human rights and there has not been a single civilian casualty in any law-and-order engagement over the last few years," he said.
The enforcement of the rule law was the single guideline for the security team of Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said and added that action has been taken against people involved in anti-national activities as well as those instigating them.
He also thanked the people of Jammu and Kashmir for cooperating with the forces that, Singh said, has been of immense help.
