Jammu- Security forces on Monday extended the ongoing combing operation in the higher reaches of Kishtwar despite fresh snowfall, following a gunfight with suspected terrorists in the snow-bound Chatroo area the previous night, officials said.

The encounter took place around 10.20 pm on Sunday in the Janseer–Kandiwar forest area of Chatroo when a joint search party of the Army and police spotted suspicious movement, they said. An exchange of fire ensued and continued for some time, but the terrorists, believed to be two or three in number, managed to escape under the cover of darkness and difficult terrain.

Officials said this was the third encounter in the Chatroo belt over the past week, as security forces continue a massive operation against terrorists believed to be linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit.

On January 18, a fierce gunbattle in Sonnar village near Mandral–Singhpora in the same district left a paratrooper dead and seven other security personnel injured. Although the terrorists escaped that encounter, they were intercepted again a few kilometres away on January 22. However, they managed to evade capture once more, using thick vegetation and rugged terrain.

The operation continued despite more than two feet of snowfall in the area on Friday, officials said. On Monday, Army helicopters were seen hovering over the encounter site and adjoining areas to maintain aerial surveillance, while multiple search parties were fanned out in different directions.

The area of operation has now been expanded to new locations along the Kishtwar–Sinthan road. Officials said the Army has also deployed unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, along with sniffer dog units, to track down and neutralise the terrorists.

Security forces have maintained heightened alertness in the hilly district as operations continue to prevent militant movement and dismantle terror hideouts in the region.