Two paratroopers of the Indian Army have gone missing in the upper reaches of Kokernag in South Kashmir during an ongoing anti-terror operation, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
According to defence sources, the soldiers were part of a special forces team engaged in a counter-terror operation when the weather suddenly deteriorated, causing visibility to drop sharply in the high-altitude region.
A massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the Army and local police to locate the missing personnel. Ground troops, drones, and sniffer dogs have been deployed to comb the dense forest terrain, while additional reinforcements have been moved to the area to assist in the operation.
Sources say that the operation in Kokernag was launched based on credible intelligence inputs regarding the presence of armed terrorists in the region. However, the adverse weather conditions led to temporary communication loss with two paratroopers during the mission.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and intensified surveillance to ensure the safety of the missing soldiers and prevent any terrorist movement in the vicinity.
As of now, the search operation remains underway amid challenging terrain and inclement weather conditions.
