J&K: Body Recovered of Soldier Who Disappeared During Anti-Terror Operation, Searches On For Second

Srinagar: The body of a missing army soldier was recovered in the Gadole area of south Kashmir’s Kokernag on Thursday (October 9), while searches are underway for the second missing trooper.

A local news gatherer reported that the body of the missing trooper, whose identity was not immediately known, was recovered along with his weapons and rucksack, adding that ‘massive’ searches remain underway for the other trooper.

The army had said on Wednesday that two army soldiers went missing on Monday during an anti-terrorism operation while another was killed on duty.

A team of soldiers that was carrying out a counter-insurgency operation in Kishtwar faced a “severe snow storm and white-out conditions in the mountains of south Kashmir” on the intervening night of October 6-7, following which two soldiers were reported missing, the army had said.

Its disclosure came a day before the Union home minister's security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir that took place in the national capital on Thursday.

Jammu and Kashmir's higher reaches witnessed early snowfall over the three days prior to Wednesday, which also impacted apple farmers, some of whom are in the midst of harvesting their crops.

Inclement weather also shut down the Srinagar-Jammu highway, which was partially opened on Wednesday.

The soldiers are believed to have gone missing in the Gadole area of Anantnag in the vicinity of one of the longest counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, which was sparked by the killing of a commanding officer and a major of the Army as well as a deputy superintendent of the Jammu and Kashmir police on September 12, 2023.

While announcing on Wednesday that they had gone missing, the army's Chinar Corps had said on X that “Intense Search and Rescue operations” were launched but were “hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions”.

A fighter jet had also crashed in the higher reaches of Gadole during the intervening night of May 6 and 7 this year after India launched a series of missile strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The missile strikes set off a chain of events that brought India and Pakistan on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.

Meanwhile, in another post on X, the army said on Wednesday that it regretted the “unfortunate and untimely demise of Subedar Shailendra Singh Chauhan while on operational duty”, adding that “his courage and dedication will forever inspire us”.

However, the army didn't give out details about the place of occurrence and date of the operation.

“Chinar Warriors salute the valour and sacrifice of the Braveheart. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved family and are committed to their well-being,” the army added.

Earlier, an encounter broke out between suspected militants and security forces in the Beeranthub area of Kandi in Rajouri district, inspector general of police in the Jammu zone Bhim Sen Tuti said on Tuesday evening.

“Exchange of fire took place between terrorists and the Special Operations Group team in Beeranthub area under the Kandi police station jurisdiction,” Tuti said per PTI.

Following the initial exchange, the suspects managed to escape from the area.

The uptick in violence in Jammu and Kashmir comes a day ahead of a high-level meeting that is going to be chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday to review the security situation in the Union territory.

Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, Jammu and Kashmir police chief Nalin Prabhat along with other home ministry officials and heads of security agencies are reportedly scheduled to attend the meeting in the national capital.

This story was updated at 6:05 pm on Thursday with information of the recovery of a soldier's body.

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