The bullet-riddled body of a 26-year-old Territorial Army soldier, who was abducted by terrorists a day ago from the Kokernag forests in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, was recovered by security forces during a search operation on Wednesday.
Police confirmed that the body of Army jawan Hilal Ahmad Bhat, who went missing on Tuesday (October 8), was recovered from the Sanglan forest area in Utrasoo, Anantnag.Bhat was a resident of Anantnag district.
2 TA jawans sent to locate terrorist movement
A report by The Indian Express quoted a senior police officer as saying that acting upon inputs about terrorist movement in the forest area, two soldiers, associated with the 162 Battalion of the Territorial Army (TA), were sent to pin the forest location. “However, they were abducted by the militants there,” the officer further said.
One soldier manages to escape
The report quoted sources as saying that while one of the two Territorial Army personnel managed to escape, one soldier was shot at by the terrorists and was hit in the shoulder, but he ran to safety.
The injured soldier was immediately taken to the Army’s 439 Field Hospital for treatment, they further informed.
“Two Territorial Army personnel encountered 3-4 terrorists during their reconnaissance mission. Reports suggest that two of them were foreigners,” the IE report quoted source as saying.
Massive search launched
The Army’s Chinar Corps had launched a massive search operation on Tuesday to find the jawan.
“Based on intelligence input, a joint counter operation was launched by the Indian Army along with Jammu and Kashmir Police and other agencies in Kazwan forest on October 8, 2024. Operation continued overnight as one soldier of the Territorial Army was reported missing,” Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army said in a post on X.
As per a report by Hindustan Times, more than five soldiers have been abducted and killed in different parts of Kashmir in the past eight years.
Most of incidents were reported in Shopian and Kulgam regions of South Kashmir.
With inputs from agencies
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Bullet-riddled body of 26-year-old Army soldier, abducted a day ago, found in South Kashmir
