Srinagar: Two Army commandos from the elite 5 PARA unit have gone missing since Monday in the dense Ahlan Gadole forest area of Kokernag in southern Kashmir.
Search operations are continuing in the area and the Army has pressed the use of drones and helicopters to locate the duo. "Search is on. They might have strayed away due to bad weather and are now out of communication," a senior police official told ET.
Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army said: "On the intervening night of Oct 6-7, an operational team on Kishtwar range confronted a severe snow storm and white out conditions in the mountains of south Kashmir. Since then, two soldiers have gone out of communication. Intense search and rescue operations have been launched but hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions."
In a related development, Chinar Corps informed about the "unfortunate and untimely demise of Subedar Shailendra Singh Chauhan while on operational duty in Kashmir". The Army didn't specify about the exact incident.
The two were part of the armed forces groups engaged in "anti-terror operations" in the area but the officials said it was "premature" and "tough" to link this incident with the infiltrators present in these forest areas. The Ahlan Gadole forest area of Kokernag came into the limelight since 2023, when infiltrators engaged in fierce gun battles with the armed forces in which two Army officers and a police officer were killed. Last year, two Army men and a civilian were killed in another operation.
Meanwhile, the forces continued search operations in Rajouri and Udhampur districts of Jammu pursuing suspected groups of infiltrators. According to officials, a brief encounter took place between the police and some suspected infiltrators in Beeranthub area of Kandi in Rajouri on Tuesday evening. Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Bhim Sen Tuti told reporters in Jammu that an exchange of fire took place between "terrorists and SOG (special operations group) team in Beeranthub area", falling in jurisdiction of Kandi police station in Rajouri.
"Joint parties of police, Army and CRPF have rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area," he said. The officials said the cordon and search operation was extended to adjoining areas but there was no fresh contact with the suspected infiltrators so far.
Search operations are continuing in the area and the Army has pressed the use of drones and helicopters to locate the duo. "Search is on. They might have strayed away due to bad weather and are now out of communication," a senior police official told ET.
Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army said: "On the intervening night of Oct 6-7, an operational team on Kishtwar range confronted a severe snow storm and white out conditions in the mountains of south Kashmir. Since then, two soldiers have gone out of communication. Intense search and rescue operations have been launched but hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions."
In a related development, Chinar Corps informed about the "unfortunate and untimely demise of Subedar Shailendra Singh Chauhan while on operational duty in Kashmir". The Army didn't specify about the exact incident.
The two were part of the armed forces groups engaged in "anti-terror operations" in the area but the officials said it was "premature" and "tough" to link this incident with the infiltrators present in these forest areas. The Ahlan Gadole forest area of Kokernag came into the limelight since 2023, when infiltrators engaged in fierce gun battles with the armed forces in which two Army officers and a police officer were killed. Last year, two Army men and a civilian were killed in another operation.
Meanwhile, the forces continued search operations in Rajouri and Udhampur districts of Jammu pursuing suspected groups of infiltrators. According to officials, a brief encounter took place between the police and some suspected infiltrators in Beeranthub area of Kandi in Rajouri on Tuesday evening. Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Bhim Sen Tuti told reporters in Jammu that an exchange of fire took place between "terrorists and SOG (special operations group) team in Beeranthub area", falling in jurisdiction of Kandi police station in Rajouri.
"Joint parties of police, Army and CRPF have rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area," he said. The officials said the cordon and search operation was extended to adjoining areas but there was no fresh contact with the suspected infiltrators so far.
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