SRINAGAR: The first quarter of 2025 witnessed a surge in encounters, militant attacks, and cross-border hostilities across Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in multiple casualties.
Numerous encounters between militants and security forces marked the period. In the Zaloora Gujjarpati forest area of Sopore, an exchange of fire led to the killing of a soldier, Pangala Kartheek. A fierce gunfight in Krumhora Rajwar Handwara resulted in the death of a foreign militant, while a police officer sustained injuries. In the Sanyal Hiranagar area of Kathua, an infiltration bid turned into an armed confrontation, leaving a minor non-local girl injured in the crossfire as militants managed to escape.
An encounter occurred in the Sufian forest area of Juthana in Kathua, where four policemen, including Head Constable Jagbir Singh and Selection Grade Constables Tariq Ahmad, Balwinder Singh Chib, and Jaswant Singh, were killed. Seven other security personnel were wounded, while two infiltrators were neutralised in the same gunfight.
Militants also carried out targeted attacks. A grenade attack on the 163 Territorial Army unit in Hamray Pattan, Baramulla, caused significant damage to an MI Room, leading to the arrest of three suspects. In another incident, militants shot dead an ex-serviceman, Manzoor Wagay, in Bihibagh, Kulgam, leaving his wife and niece injured. In Goripora Bomai Sopore, Army personnel opened fire, killing a truck driver, Waseem Mir, under circumstances that triggered widespread outrage.
The period also witnessed a series of cross-border hostilities and sniper attacks. In the Makri area of the Bhawani sector in Rajouri, an accidental blast left six army personnel injured. A soldier, Puran Singh, was wounded in a sniper attack in the Nowshera sector, while another soldier suffered injuries in a similar incident in Akhnoor. An IED blast in the Akhnoor sector claimed the lives of two soldiers, including a captain, while another was injured. Additionally, a soldier was wounded in a sniper attack in Poonch, prompting a brief exchange of fire with Pakistani troops. Another IED explosion rocked the Nakarkote area along the LoC in Poonch.
Militants also intensified attacks on security forces in Rajouri’s Sunderbani sector, where an army vehicle came under fire, leading to a massive cordon and search operation. In another incident, unidentified gunmen hurled a grenade at a police post in Old Town Baramulla. Security forces resorted to firing after detecting suspicious movement in Sunderbani, indicating heightened vigilance amid increased militant activity. (KNT)
