A soldier has gone missing as security forces continue their operation against terrorists in the Anantnag district of Jammu & Kashmir, reports said.

The operation, which began on Wednesday evening, is a joint effort by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir police aimed at eliminating terrorists hiding in the forests surrounding Gadool village in Anantnag’s Kokernag area. 

The operation has already claimed the lives of Col Manpreet Singh and Maj Ashish Dhonchak from the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, along with DySP Humayun Bhat of J&K Police, lost their lives during a fierce gunfight on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Major Dhonchak, a recipient of the Sena Medal in 2023, has been laid to rest in Haryana’s Panipat, while DSP Bhat, survived by his wife and a three-month-old son, was already laid to rest in Budgam on Wednesday evening.

The terrorists involved are suspected to be associated with The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group reportedly backed by Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Security forces have deployed drones and helicopters to aid in tracking down and neutralizing the terrorists. Recent reports indicate fresh firing from the same encounter site.