Kishtwar military Op: Seven army personnel injured, one killed; operation underway

Kishtwar: Seven armed forces personnel were injured, and a Special Forces havildar was killed during a military operation against militants, which began on Sunday, in a remote forest area of upper Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir, ANI reported.

The operation started in the general area of Sonnar in Chatroo during a joint search operation by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police. Most of the injured army personnel suffered splinter injuries after militants lobbed grenades while attempting to break the security cordon. The injured personnel were evacuated to the hospital, officials were quoted as saying.

The Indian Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said the operation, named Operation Trashi-I, began around noon and involved an intense exchange of fire that lasted for several hours before subsiding. One of the search teams encountered a group of two to three foreign militants, allegedly belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, who opened indiscriminate fire and hurled grenades.

Troops retaliated, prompting the induction of reinforcements from the Army, CRPF and J&K Police to further tighten the cordon. Advanced surveillance equipment, including drones and sniffer dogs, has been deployed to track the militants. A massive search operation remains underway in the area.

Meanwhile, the White Knight Corps paid tributes to Special Forces Havildar Gajendra Singh, who laid down his life during the operation on the night of January 19, 2026. In a post on X, the General Officer Commanding and all ranks of the Corps saluted his courage, valour and supreme sacrifice, and expressed solidarity with his bereaved family.

The Army said operations are continuing with additional forces on the ground, supported by close coordination with civil administration and other security agencies.