Srinagar, Sep 4: Army on Friday said that one terrorist was killed in a joint operation with J&K Police and CRPF in AshdarGali in central district of Budgam they have recovered an AK rifle along with other war-like stores.
The operation is underway and more reinforcements has been sent to the area.
The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, in a post on X, said the operation, named OP ASHDAR, was launched jointly by the Army, J&K Police, and CRPF Srinagar Sector in the general area of AshdarGali after specific intelligence inputs.
“Vigilant troops observed suspicious activity and upon being challenged, terrorists opened fire, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire during which one terrorist was neutralised and one AK rifle and other war-like stores recovered. Search operation is in progress,” the Corps said.
Officials said the operation began on Thursday evening after intelligence about the movement of terrorists in the area.
They said contact was established when troops challenged the terrorists opened fire first.
“One terrorist was killed in the ensuing gunfight. Identity of the slain terrorist has not been established so far. Additional forces have been rushed to strengthen the cordon,” officials said.
AshdarGali is a remote, high-altitude forested mountain pass in the central valley ridge of the PirPanjal range.
It sits on the rugged highland corridor linking Pakherpora in Pulwama with Yousmarg in Budgam and has historically served as a secluded transit route across district boundaries.
The steep ridges and thick forest cover make movement difficult to detect and operations challenging.
The two-day encounter comes after a prolonged lull in armed clashes in Kashmir.
The last confirmed major gunfight in the Valley was in Shopian in July.
The action follows heightened operational focus on the same mountain belt.
Sixteen days earlier, on August 19, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, accompanied by the then Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone V K Birdi and DIG Central Kashmir Range Rajiv Pandey, along with SSP Budgam Hariprasad K K, conducted an operational review of Temporary Operating Bases on the northern face of the Pir Panjal, including the Todasmaidan sector.
