The encounter between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag has stretched to the fifth day, with thousands of troops, including para commandos, locked in an endless gunfight deep inside the dense forests of Gadol.
According to reports, terrorists are making use of the treacherous terrain and forest cover to keep the forces at bay while continuing the encounter.
The face-off is currently ongoing for over 100 hours now.
Three officers, including two from the Army and a policeman, were killed in the action in an attempt to neutralise the terrorists.
The heavily armed terrorists, believed to be two or three in number, are hiding in a tactically favourable location in the dense and steep forest, reports said.
This indicates a new pattern being used by the terrorists to take on the security structure in Kashmir.
During these 100 hours, the troops fired hundreds of motor shells and rockets targeting suspected terrorist hideouts with hi-tech equipment and dropped explosives using advanced drones.
Army's Northern Command chief Lt General Upendra Dwivedi visited the encounter site on Saturday, where he was briefed about how troops are using the advanced equipment, including drones and firepower, against the terrorists.
The joint operation by the Army and police began on Tuesday night based on intelligence input, followed by an attempt to approach the terrorist hideout the next day.
The terrorists who appear to have anticipated the action, opened fire on the forces, who are caught between the dense forests and hill on one side and a deep ditch on the other.
Leading from the front, two Army officers – Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Ashish Dhonchak, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat – were killed in action. Two more soldiers were injured while another is believed to be missing.
