Helicopters pressed into service
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 8: Two soldiers have gone out of contact in the upper reaches of Kokernag in Anantnag district amid an ongoing anti-terror operation.
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Massive searches have been launched in the Gadol forest area to trace the soldiers. An official said that they believe the soldiers may have lost contact due to the inclement weather that prevailed over the last two days.
He said that the soldiers were part of a small team that had launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) in the area a few days ago. Since then, communication with them has not been established. Helicopters have been pressed into service to assist ground troops in the searches.
Gadole has become the new hotspot of terrorism in Kashmir as the area witnessed two major encounters in August 2024 and September 2023.
Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army said the operational team was caught in a severe snow storm on Monday night.
“On the intervening night of October 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,” the Chinar Corps said in a post on its X handle.
Search and rescue operation was in progress, it said.
“Intense search and rescue operations have been launched but hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions,” it added.
While two soldiers and a civilian were killed in a fierce gun battle with terrorists last year, four security forces personnel, including two Army officers and a police officer, laid down their lives while tracking down the ultras in the dense forests.
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