Security forces continued the search operation in the densely forested Keshwan area of Kishtwar a day after a JCO of the elite Para Commando force of the army was killed in a gunfight with terrorists hiding in the area.

The CASO (Cordon & Search Operation) has been going on for over four days now. The security forces are trying to trace the killers of two civilians, who were abducted from Ohli village and then murdered brutally in the forest area.

Sunday’s encounter broke out when joint search parties of the army and police intercepted the terrorists around 11 a.m. in the Keshwan forest area.

“Fierce firing exchanges had continued for over four hours. During this gunfight, a JCO, Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of the Army’s 2 Para was killed and three other soldiers were injured,” officials said adding that after this contact, no fresh contact with the terrorists was established.

“Three to four terrorists responsible for the killings of two village defence guards (VDGs) are still holed up in the area and a massive search operation is underway to neutralise them," officials added.

“Thick foliage and the topography of the area pose a challenge for the security forces, who are relentlessly chasing the terrorists to hunt them down,” officials added.

Hundreds of people had attended the funeral of the two slain VDGs, Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar, and a complete protest shutdown was observed in Kishtwar town.

Foreign mercenaries have been active in the hilly areas of Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua and Udhampur dustricts of Jammu division for the last few months, posing serious challenges to the security forces.

The tactics of these terrorists have been to carry out sly attacks against army, security forces, police and civilians and then disappear into densely forested areas of these districts.