Srinagar: The army has reportedly airlifted three among at least seven soldiers who suffered injuries today, January 18, during an ongoing encounter with militants in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.The encounter broke out when a group of three militants reportedly affiliated with the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit exchanged fire with a team of security forces in the hilly district’s Chatroo area during a search operation on Sunday morning.The operation codenamed ‘Operation Tarashi’ was launched by a joint team of J&K Police and the army in the wee hours of Sunday following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants in the area.The Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X that “contact was established” with militants in Son Nar area of Chatroo.“Troops displayed exceptional professionalism and resolve while responding to hostile fire under challenging terrain and conditions. Operations remain underway with additional forces inducted to reinforce the cordon, supported by close coordination with civil administration and security agencies,” the defence spokesperson said.According to reports, seven soldiers were injured in the encounter. It was not clear how the army soldiers were injured. While some reports have indicated that the injuries were caused by the explosion of a grenade which was lobbed by the militants, others attributed them to the exchange of fire between the two sides.The army has not issued any official statement on the injured soldiers.A local news gatherer in Srinagar reported that three soldiers were critically injured and that they have been airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment. “Their condition was not immediately known,” the news gatherer reported.Kishtwar, which is connected by road to south Kashmir’s Anantnag district through the high-altitude Sinthan Pass, has emerged as a hotspot of militant activities in recent months, prompting security forces to conduct regular search operations in its higher reaches.According to reports, several groups of a total of 35 militants, mostly led by Pakistani nationals, are believed to have taken refuge in Kishtwar and Doda districts of Jammu region. Militancy there had become a thing of the past in the years before the Union government read down Article 370.Amid rising incidents of violence, the army has said that it will continue search operations in the two hilly districts as well as other parts of the Union territory during winters when the area of operations for militants gets reduced due to snow in the higher reaches.In the recent past, security forces and militants have exchanged gunfire at multiple places in Kishtwar which have led to casualties on both sides.On September 13, 2024, two army soldiers were killed in an encounter with militants in the Chatroo area. The same group of militants was believed to have been involved in another encounter in the adjoining Doda district when four army soldiers including an officer were killed in July that year.In April last year, the army claimed to have gunned down three militants in Kishtwar. A month later, an army soldier was killed while two more suffered injuries during an encounter in the same area where the latest gun battle is underway.