Jammu & Kashmir: Two soldiers killed, two injured in encounter with militants in Kishtwar district ahead of elections

A police spokesperson confirmed that militants fired upon a joint team of security personnel and the Jammu & Kashmir Police, who were conducting search operations in the region.

Two soldiers were killed and two others injured in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, on the afternoon of September 13. According to sources cited by The Indian Express, the encounter began when security forces engaged with militants in the region.

The Army's White Knight Corps, based in Nagrota, confirmed the incident in a post on X (formerly Twitter), detailing that the clash was the result of a joint operation launched by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police based on intelligence inputs. The operation commenced in Chatroo around 3:30 PM, during which contact was established with the militants. The post also noted that four Army personnel sustained injuries during the firefight.

Despite ongoing efforts to manage the situation, two of the injured soldiers unfortunately succumbed to their injuries while being transported to Chatroo hospital. The operation is still in progress as security forces continue their efforts in the area.

An exchange of gunfire broke out between security forces and militants in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday evening, according to police. The skirmish took place in the Pingnal Dugadda forest, located in the upper reaches of Naidgham village in the Chhatroo area.

A police spokesperson confirmed that militants fired upon a joint team of security personnel and the Jammu & Kashmir Police, who were conducting search operations in the region. The Indian Express report suggests that two to three militants are believed to be hiding in the forest, prompting the deployment of additional reinforcements to the site.

This encounter comes just days after security forces killed two militants in Udhampur district and ahead of the first phase of polling in Kishtwar on September 18. In anticipation of the elections, security has been heightened across Kishtwar, as well as the neighbouring Doda and Ramban districts. Additional forces have been deployed to protect residential areas and polling stations, while ongoing search operations continue in forested regions.

Senior officials from the police and security forces have been deployed to Doda to review the security situation ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the area on Saturday for a public meeting.

In the last two months, nearly a dozen people, including two Army Captains and seven soldiers, have been killed in separate attacks in the Doda, Udhampur, and Kathua districts. In addition, three militants were recently neutralized during an operation in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

(More details are awaited)