Top Jaish commander among 3 terrorists killed in gunfight in J&K's Kishtwar

Three terrorists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Sunday. A top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Saifullah Baloch, was trapped during the operation and killed in the ensuing gunfight.

Saifulla Baloch carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh and was one of the most wanted terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

The three terrorists were hiding in a nomadic hut, which caught fire during the encounter. Their charred bodies were later recovered.

The Army said the terrorists were eliminated during the ‘Trashi-I’ operation in the Passerkut area of the Chatroo belt, and that arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles, were recovered from them.

The gunbattle began when the troops launched a search operation in the Chatroo forest belt after receiving inputs about the presence of two to three terrorists.

The operation was carried out by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police's Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The security forces were successful in establishing contact with the hiding terrorists this morning.

Army K9 dog Tyson bravely led troops to a terror hideout in Kishtwar, taking the first bullet but successfully confirming the position of Jaish terrorists in the operation zone. The soldiers subsequently engaged the two Jaish terrorists and eliminated them. Tyson has since received medical treatment and is now safe and recovering.

Search and combing operations have been ongoing in the snow-covered Chatroo forest belt for the past 15 days.

Last month, the forest area saw nearly half a dozen encounters between terrorists and security forces last month, leaving one soldier and a terrorist dead.