Anantnag: Seven day-long Kokernag encounter called off

The Indian Army had deployed mechanized drones and other modern weapons to track down the whereabouts of terrorists hiding inside the cave-like structures inside the dense jungle

Chandra Maurya

September 19, 2023

The Indian Army had deployed mechanized drones and other modern weapons to track down the whereabouts of terrorists hiding inside the cave-like structures inside the dense jungle

Anantnag encounter: LeT Commander Uzair Khan eliminated

The joint team of security forces Tuesday avenged the killing of three officers and one jawan of the Indian Army by neutralizing a self-styled Lashkar-e-Tayeeba (LeT) commander Uzair Khan along with his accomplice ending the seven-day-long encounter, going on in the Garol forest area of Kokernag in the South Kashmir district of Anantnag.

The security forces have so far retrieved two dead bodies from the site of the encounter while another dead body has been spotted in the area but the same is yet to be retrieved.

Briefing media persons Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir range Vijay Kumar said, “LeT commander Uzair Khan has been killed. We have recovered his dead body and a weapon. Additionally, another terrorist’s lifeless body has been found. The Anantnag encounter has concluded, but the search operation continues, ” ADGP Police Vijay Kumar said. He clarified that the third dead body is yet to be retrieved from the site of the encounter.

Three senior officers including the Commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonchok, and Dy SP Humayun Bhat were killed in action in the Garol forest area of Kokernag on September 13, 2023. The operation was launched in the forest area after receiving pinpointed intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area on September 12-13, 2023.

The dead body of another soldier was recovered from the site of the encounter on Monday. The soldier has been identified as Sepoy Pardeep Singh. He had been missing since September 13.

Appealing to local residents ADGP Vijay Kumar said “I urge the locals not to go closer to the encounter site as unexploded grenades or shells may cause harm to them”. On total casualties from the security forces side, the ADGP said: “Three officers, two from the army and one from police besides a soldier were killed in action during the encounter.”

The Indian Army had deployed mechanized drones and other modern weapons to track down the whereabouts of terrorists hiding inside the cave-like structures inside the dense jungle. Several hideouts were blasted by the security forces using RPG shells to flush them out of their safe hideouts. Senior army officers of the Northern Command and Srinagar-based Chinar Corps supervised the anti-terrorist operations in synergy with the J&K police. The Garol forest area was barricaded by the local police authorities to prevent the assembly of a large number of people by spreading concertina wires. The media teams were also directed to report from a safe distance amid the continuous exchange of firing in the area.

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