Eight Soldiers Injured as Counterterror Operation Sparks Gunbattle in Jammu and Kashmir – What Army Said About Operation Trashi-I

Eight soldiers from the Indian Army were injured during an extended gunfight with suspected militants in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter began during a search operation by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, targeting militants linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad group.

Kishtwar Encounter: Eight Indian Army soldiers were injured Sunday in a prolonged gunfight with suspected militants in a remote forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. The encounter began around noon when security forces came under fire during a search operation in the upper reaches of the district. The exchange of fire lasted for several hours before subsiding, officials said, reports PTI.

The operation, launched by the Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps and named Operation Trashi-I, was carried out jointly with Jammu and Kashmir Police. The forces made contact with militants in the general area of Sonnar, northeast of Chatroo, while conducting a search as part of ongoing counterterror operations.

In a post on social media, the Army said additional troops had been deployed to reinforce the cordon and that the operation was continuing in coordination with other security agencies and the civil administration. It praised the soldiers for responding to hostile fire in difficult terrain.

Officials said a search team encountered two to three foreign militants, believed to be linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group. The militants allegedly opened indiscriminate fire and hurled grenades in an attempt to escape the cordon.

Troops returned fire, and reinforcements from the Army, the Central Reserve Police Force and local police were rushed to the area to tighten the cordon. Intermittent firing continued until about 5:40 PM.

All eight injured soldiers were evacuated to hospital. Most sustained splinter injuries caused by grenade blasts, officials said, adding that their condition was stable.

A large-scale search operation is underway to track and neutralise the militants. Drones, surveillance equipment and sniffer dogs have been deployed to assist the operation, officials said.

This was the third encounter between security forces and militants in the Jammu region this year. Similar gunfights were reported earlier this month in forest areas of Kathua district.

Security operations have been intensified across the region ahead of Republic Day celebrations, amid intelligence inputs warning of renewed attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push militants into the area, officials said.