Two Army soldiers were killed and three others including two civilians were left injured in a fierce encounter with terrorists in the forest area of Ahlan Gagarmandu in South Kashmir’s Kokernag on Saturday.

The injured soldiers were evacuated to the military hospital but two of the critically injured succumbed to their wounds, reports said.

A defence spokesman said in the evening that “It had been earlier confirmed through human and electronic means on 5 August that terrorists responsible for atrocities and incidents in the Doda region in the month of July, had sneaked across the Kishtwar range into the Kapran Garol area in South Kashmir. Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police have ever since relentlessly tracked these terrorists and precise operations were launched on the night of 9 and 10 August in the area East of Kapran, in the mountains, where these terrorists were reportedly holed up.”

“Suspicious movement was observed at approximately 1400 hours on 10 August, on challenging, was immediately responded to by indiscriminate, desperate and reckless firing from terrorists in which two Army personnel and two civilians, in the vicinity were injured. The terror antecedents of the injured civilians are being ascertained. The area is above 10,000 feet in high altitude, has thick undergrowth, large boulders, Nallahs and re-entrants that pose a serious challenge to operations. Security forces are moving deliberately and are in the process of hunting down the terrorists. Operations will progress through the night,” the spokesman added.

The Chinar Corps earlier wrote on X: “Based on specific intelligence input, a Joint Operation was launched by Indian army, J&K Police and CRPF today in the general area Kokernag, Anantnag. Contact was established and firefight ensued. Two personnel have been injured and evacuated from the area.”

The encounter broke out when the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area following information about the presence of terrorists there, officials said. The terrorists indiscriminately fired upon the search party, which retaliated, the officials said.

In a statement the terror outfit Kashmir Tigers of the Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the gunfight, reports said.

Two senior Army officers and a deputy superintendent of J&K Police lost their lives a few months ago in a terrorist ambush in the same area.

Earlier in the morning, the Jammu and Kashmir Police released sketches of four terrorists who were reported moving on the high mountain pastures of the Kathua district.The Police has also announced a reward of Rs. 5 lakh for credible information on the whereabouts of each of these terrorists.

The Kathua district Police released sketches of these 4 terrorists who, it said, were last seen in dhoks (mud houses of migrant Gujjars at the pastures) of Malhar , Bani and Seojdhar.

A reward of Rs.5 lakhs on each terrorist for actionable information and anyone with credible information of terrorists will also be suitably rewarded, said the police.

It is worth mentioning that terrorists generally make the dhoks of Gujjars their hideouts where they extract food and shelter from the migratory tribe at gunpoint.

The Police had a few days ago released sketches of four other terrorists who last month ambushed an Army truck near Billawar in Kathua and killed five soldiers and injured four.

Terrorist groups also attacked security forces in the Doda district where four soldiers, including a Captain, lost their lives. Security forces have arrested several overground workers of terror outfits but the terrorists who have infiltrated from Pakistan were still untraceable.