Anantnag encounter: Drones, quadcopters being used to help forces locate terrorists

Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: The ongoing gunfight between a combined team of security personnel from the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police and terrorists in the Kokernag area of the Anantnag district entered the third straight day, with drones and quadcopters being pressed into service on Friday to locate and neutralise the gunmen.

According to officials, the security personnel involved in the operation, which broke out on Wednesday, were being assisted by quadcopters and drones in the ongoing efforts to locate the terrorists.

An Army Colonel commanding a Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Rashtriya Rifles, lost his life in the ongoing gunfight in the Anantnag district. An Army Major and a Deputy Superintendent with the Jammu and Kashmir Police also fell to enemy fire in the Kokernag area.

The slain senior Army officers and the DSP were identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak, and Humayun Bhat.

The mortal remains of Major Aashish Dhonchak were brought to his residence in Panipat earlier on Friday.

A pall of gloom descended on his native village as the news of his death reached the locals on Wednesday evening.

The last rites of DSP Bhat were performed in Budgam on Wednesday evening.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, expressed grief over the deaths of the officers in the encounter while also paying tributes to the slain DSP at Budgam on Wednesday.

In a separate encounter, two terrorists were gunned down by security forces in the Narla area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri on Tuesday.

Security forces said they recovered warlike stores, including medicines, with Pakistan markings during a search amid the encounter that carried over into Wednesday evening, according to officials.