2023 Anantnag encounter

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2023 Anantnag Encounter
Part of Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
Date13 September 2023 - 19 September 2023 (6 days)[1]
Location
Kokernag, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir
Result
Belligerents

 India

The Resistance Front
Commanders and leaders

Indian Army:

  • Rajiv Ghai (GoC 15 Corps)
  • Major Aashish Dhonack  †
  • Colonel Manpreet Singh  †

J&K Police:

  • Dilbag Singh (DGP, J&K Police)
  • Vijay Kumar (ADGP Kashmir)
  • DSP Humayun Bhat (SDPO Kokernag)  †
Various top officials from Indian Army and J&K Police.[a]
Strength
10000 2-3 (Indian claim)
Casualties and losses

5 killed,

20 killed (TRF claim)		 2 killed

On 13 September 2023, a confrontation erupted between Indian security forces and Kashmiri separatist militants in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India.[5] The week-long encounter in the Gadol forests in the Anantnag district ended on 19 September, in which The Resistance Front commander, Uzair Khan was killed along with at least two senior Indian Army officers and a J&K Police officer.[1][6] After losing 4 security forces personnel on the first day, Indian security forces were finally able to clear the militant hideout on the 7th day of the operation, as the dense jungles and rough terrain of the area provided cover to the militants.[7]

This Anantnag encounter began when a joint operation was undertaken by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the early hours of Sep 13, 2023, following inputs about a militant hideout, but the militants appeared to have anticipated the action and opened fire on the security forces.[3] An Indian colonel, major, and the deputy superintendent of police were killed.[8]

The militant group, The Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the encounter.[9][10] The Resistance Front emerged in 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. This group is notorious for its participation in various acts of terrorism within the region and has presented a significant challenge to security forces operating in the area.[11][9] The banned Resistance Front is believed to be a shadow group of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.[8]

The operation involved the deployment of drone surveillance and the initiation of search operations aimed at capturing the militants involved.[12] A missing soldier[13] and another militant were also found dead on the last day of the operation.[7]

Background[edit]

The encounter commenced when security forces initiated a counter-terrorism operation in the Gadole area of Kokernag Tehsil within the Anantnag district, targeting the location where militants were believed to be hiding.[14] The operation was initiated on the evening of 12 September 2023 but was temporarily halted during the night. It was then resumed on 13 September following the receipt of information indicating that they had been spotted at a hideout.[15] The Indian military has reported that they have cordoned off an area where two TRF militants are believed to be located. One of them has been identified as TRF commander Uzair Khan.[16][17]

The operation[edit]

The joint operation by Army and police began on 13 September based on intelligence input, followed by an attempt to approach the militant hideout next day. The militants who appear to have anticipated the action opened fire on the forces, 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 Aashish Dhonchak, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himayun Bhat - were killed in action. Two more soldiers were injured while another is believed to be missing, What followed was more challenging heavy firing from the militant side made it an uphill task to evacuate the injured and those killed in action, The assault and climbing team of the army has taken position in the towering and dense forest, and there is a relentless offensive on target hideouts. But there is no clarity if any of the militants was hunted down Amid heavy shelling, a portion of the forest also caught fire last afternoon, but was quickly put off by unexpected showers.[18]

New security challenge[edit]

The militants appear to be trained in jungle and high-altitude guerilla warfare, and prepared for a long haul. It may have taken a long time to set up the logistics in such a treacherous terrain, adding that dealing with this type of militancy is extremely difficult.While security forces deployed in towns and villages across the region have been able to dismantle militant support structures to a great extent, militancy in the alpine forests could undo the gains made in recent years, they say. A similar pattern is being seen in the militant activities in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu, In May, 10 soldiers including five paratroopers were killed in twin attacks by militants. None of the attackers could be tracked down in the dense forest of Pirpanjal despite a massive counter-terrorist operation, In October 2021, the army was engaged in one of longest anti-terror operations in Poonch-Rajouri forests after nine army soldiers were killed in twin attacks.[19]

Casualties[edit]

The casualties resulting from the encounter included Colonel Manpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, a native of Mohali, Punjab,[20] Major Aashish Dhonack from Panipat, Haryana,[21] and a Deputy Superintendent of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Humayun Bhat, of Budgam, Kashmir.[22][23]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Top Brass including GOC 15 Corps Rajiv Ghai, DGP Dilbagh Singh, and ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, along with other top officials, were present at the encounter site.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Week-long Anantnag encounter ends, Lashkar commander's body recovered: J-K Police". hindustantimes.com. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Anantnag encounter: Four dead, security forces' anti-terrorist operation continues".
  3. ^ a b "India: Army Colonel, Major, DSP of J&K Police killed in Anantnag gunfight". WION.
  4. ^ Desk, KO Web (13 September 2023). "Top Security Brass At Kokernag Encounter Site". Kashmir Observer. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  5. ^ "2 Army officers, DSP killed in ongoing gunfight with terrorists in J-K's Anantnag". The Tribune (India). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Anantnag gunfight over after 7 days, LeT commander Uzair Khan among two terrorists killed". economictimes. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Anantnag encounter ends after 7 days". economictimes. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Army colonel, major, and deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police killed in a gunfight". Times of India. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b "What is the Resistance Front, responsible for killing of 3 security officers in J&K's Anantnag?". 14 September 2023.
  10. ^ "The Resistance Front (TRF): Major Challenge for Kashmir Security Post Article 370, Behind Anantnag Gunfight". 14 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Positioning The Resistance Front (TRF) in Kashmir's militancy landscape | ORF".
  12. ^ Ashiq, Peerzada (14 September 2023). "Anantnag operation resumes, two LeT militants encircled: police". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  13. ^ "Anantnag encounter: Soldier who went missing during operations found dead - The Week". www.theweek.in. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Fresh Firing in Anantnag Day, After 3 Security Officers Killed. Farooq Abdullah Targets Centre". 14 September 2023.
  15. ^ Ashiq, Peerzada (13 September 2023). "Two Army officers, one J&K Police DSP killed in Anantnag encounter". The Hindu.
  16. ^ "'Avenged leader's killing in POK': Terror group after 2 Army officers, cop killed in Anantnag".
  17. ^ "Anantnag Encounter: Lashkar Terrorist Uzair Khan, Associates Trapped; Firing Underway | Details". 14 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Trained in jungle warfare, the terrorists are making use of the treacherous terrain and forest cover to keep the forces at bay and prolong the encounter". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Trained in jungle warfare, the terrorists are making use of the treacherous terrain and forest cover to keep the forces at bay and prolong the encounter". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Anantnag encounter: Colonel Manpreet Singh's son, dressed in camouflage, salutes father at last rites as nation mourns". Hindustan Times. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Anantnag martyr Major Ashish Dhonchak cremated with full military honours at his village Binjhol in panipat". The tribune. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Anantnag encounter: Four dead, security forces' anti-terrorist operation continues".
  23. ^ "India: Army Colonel, Major, DSP of J&K Police killed in Anantnag gunfight". WION.
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