Unidentified militant killed in Ganderbal encounter, operation underway

p>Srinagar: An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Arahama area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Wednesday, officials said.

The operation was launched on Tuesday evening after ‘specific inputs’ about the presence of militants, according to officials. A joint team of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police cordoned off the area and began a search operation.

As the search intensified, militants opened fire on the forces, triggering an encounter. Security forces retaliated, leading to the killing of one militant.

In a post on X, the Army's Chinar Corps said the cordon was tactically reorganised during the night amidst intermittent firing. “Own troops effectively retaliated with calibrated response resulting in one terrorist eliminated.

Operation is in progress,” the post said.. Sources indicated that the possibility of more militants being present in the area has not been ruled out, and reinforcements have been deployed to tighten the cordon.

Ganderbal district, located on the outskirts of Srinagar, has largely remained peaceful over the past decade with minimal militant activity, making the encounter a rare incident in the district. The operation was ongoing at the time of filing this report.