Exclusive Ground Zero Report on Kishtwar Encounter Resumes; Heavy Exchange of Fire Continues — Fourth Gunfight in Two Weeks Location: Kishtwar Anchor: An encounter between security forces and terrorists has resumed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, with heavy exchange of fire continuing from both sides. Security forces have cordoned off the Dolgam area of Kishtwar, where terrorists are believed to be hiding. The joint operation is being carried out by Para Commandos of the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), and the CRPF to neutralise the militants. All entry and exit points in the area have been sealed as a precautionary measure. This marks the fourth encounter in the last two weeks in the Chatroo subdivision of Kishtwar, underlining persistent militant activity in the region. It may be recalled that the encounter initially began on January 18 in the Singhpora area of Kishtwar, during which an Indian Army Special Forces soldier, Havaldar Gajendra Singh, laid down his life. Following the incident, security forces significantly intensified anti-terror operations across the belt. A second firefight took place on January 22 at a nearby location, but the terrorists once again managed to evade capture. Despite more than two feet of snowfall in the area, operations have continued uninterrupted in the high-altitude terrain, during which the 3rd exchange of fire occurred on the intervening night of January 25 & 26 in the Janseer–Kandiwar forest, terrorists allegedly fired heavy weapons, including rocket launchers. Now after continuous and massive CASO launched by security forces, today once again contact has been established with the hiding terrorists, which marks 4th encounter in last two weeks. Senior officers of the Indian Army are present at the encounter site to monitor the situation. Notably, Northern Command Chief Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma arrived in Kishtwar yesterday evening, where he reviewed the ongoing operation and interacted with troops on the ground. He issued clear and direct instructions to eliminate the terrorists. According to intelligence inputs, two to three foreign terrorists affiliated with the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit are believed to be trapped in the forested terrain. The group is reportedly linked to JeM commander Saiffullah. The current operation follows an earlier encounter in April 2025 in the same belt, during which three foreign terrorists — Maviya, Assad-ur-Rehman alias Basha, and Farman Ullah — were neutralised, reinforcing concerns over the area being used as a terror hideout. Security agencies have further revealed that the terrorists involved in the present operation had received extensive training from the Pakistan military prior to infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir. Reports indicate that the militants are armed with M4 rifles. Despite harsh weather conditions following heavy snowfall, security forces have pushed deeper into higher reaches to continue search and combing operations. Surveillance has been intensified using helicopters, drones, and sniffer dogs, while additional troops have been deployed to reinforce the ongoing operation.