Two soldiers were injured in a fierce gunbattle with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district today, sources said.

The police said the encounter began in Anantnag district’s Ahlan Gadole this afternoon.

The two soldiers were injured after terrorists targeted their patrol while they were carrying out an anti-terror operation in the forest in the Kokernag subdivision. 

Special forces and paratroopers of the army are part of the operation to flush out terrorists who are believed to be foreigners.

Today’s gunbattle is the second major encounter in Kokernag in the last one year. In September 2023, a Commanding Officer, a Major, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police were among the personnel killed during a gunbattle with terrorists in Kokernag forest.

Reinforcement has been rushed to the area to flush out terrorists, believed to be entrenched in Ahlan Gadole forests.

The Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to create sub-groups within the 15% Scheduled Caste quota has prompted criticism from Congress. They questioned implementing a ‘creamy layer’ amidst a backlog and expressed concerns about BJP’s intentions towards reservation. Congress vowed to oppose the decision, citing continued untouchability as justification for ongoing reservations.

Seeing the crowds of devotees each day, the authorities decided to open the temple each day.