Jammu, Jan 19 (IANS): An Army soldier who was critically injured during an encounter with terrorists in the Chatroo area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district succumbed to his injuries on Monday, officials said. The fallen soldier has been identified as Havildar Gajendra Singh of the Special Forces.
The encounter took place in the Sonnar village area during an ongoing counter-terrorism operation code-named Operation TRASHI-I. According to the Army, eight soldiers were injured during the initial exchange of fire when terrorists triggered buried grenades and opened fire on joint forces conducting a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO).
The Nagrota-headquartered White Knight Corps paid tribute to the martyr in a post on X, stating that Havildar Gajendra Singh made the supreme sacrifice while gallantly executing the counter-terrorism operation in the Singpura area on the night of January 19, 2026. The Corps lauded his courage, valour and selfless devotion to duty, and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.
Officials said three of the injured soldiers were airlifted for advanced medical treatment, while the remaining five were treated at a nearby medical facility. Most of the injuries were caused by splinters from grenade explosions.
After a night-long pause due to difficult terrain, dense vegetation and poor visibility, the joint forces resumed the operation on Monday morning. Multiple teams of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces, supported by drones and sniffer dogs, are combing the upper reaches to track down the terrorists, believed to be two to three in number and affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). No fresh contact had been reported till noon.
This is the third encounter in the Jammu region this year, following clashes in Kathua district earlier in January. Security has been intensified across hilly districts ahead of Republic Day, amid intelligence inputs warning of renewed infiltration attempts from across the border.
