Srinagar- Security forces have launched a massive search operation in the dense forests of Kokernag area in south Kashmir's Anantnag district to trace two missing soldiers who lost contact with their unit during an anti-terror operation, officials said on Wednesday.

According to officials, the operation was launched two days ago in the Ahlan Gadole area of Kokernag following intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of terrorists.

However, two soldiers, who are part of the elite para unit, went missing as their communication line went out, the officials said, adding that helicopters were pressed into aerial reconnaissance in a bid to locate the missing soldiers.

Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army said the operational team was caught in a severe snow storm on Monday night.

Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, in a post on X wrote,“On the intervening night of 6/7 Oct an operational team on Kishtwar range confronted a severe snow storm and white out conditions in the mountains of South Kashmir.”
“Since then, two soldiers have gone out of communication. Intense Search and Rescue operations have been launched but hampered due to prevailing adverse weather conditions,” the post further reads.

An official said that search teams have been deployed on the ground, and helicopters are conducting aerial reconnaissance to trace the missing personnel.

The Ahlan Gadole area has emerged as a recent hotspot of terrorism in south Kashmir. The forests witnessed two major encounters in August 2024 and September 2023.

In last year's gunfight, four security personnel, including two Army officers and a police officer, were killed while tracking down militants. Two soldiers and a civilian also lost their lives in a fierce exchange of fire in the area in August this year.

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