J&K: Thick Forests Hinder Hunt For Pahalgam Attackers As Terrorists Evade Capture Despite Multiple Sightings

The thick forests have made it difficult to nab the terrorists, who carried out the Pahalgam attack last week, even though security forces have identified their locations "at least four times" in various places over the past five days, The Indian Express reported.

The terrorists were nearly trapped in the forests of South Kashmir and even engaged in a firefight on one occasion, based on the information received from local residents, intelligence inputs and combing operations.

"It’s a cat and mouse game. There have been moments where they have been visibly located. But by the time they could be engaged, they had escaped. The forests are very thick and it’s not easy to chase someone even after visibly locating them. But we are sure we will get them, it’s only a matter of days,” an army officer was quoted as saying.

Joint operations have been carried out by the Army, the Central Armed Police forces, and the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police in the forests surrounding Pahalgam. Their objective is to apprehend the four terrorists responsible for the murder of 26 individuals in the Baisaran meadow on 21 April, two of whom are from Pakistan.

Insiders reported that the terrorists were initially discovered in the woods close to the Hapat Nar village in the Pahalgam tehsil of Anantnag, but they successfully evaded capture due to the thick landscape.

Subsequently, informants reported that the terrorists were seen in the Kulgam forests, where they engaged in a firefight with security forces before managing to evade capture.

The group has once more been situated in the Tral Ridge and subsequently in Kokernag, where they are presently believed to be in transit.