Journalists covering Gadole Kokernag encounter about 3 Km away from site

Sameer Ahmad

Amantnag: At least 50 Journalists of National and Regional Media outlets covering the encounter from the last six days here in Gadole Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district are still hang up near the encounter site and updating latest updates regarding the ongoing operation at Kokernag Anantnag, with journalists saying that they only hear loud explosions, and firing shots from the encounter spot.

The encounter had broke out between the security forces and the militants during last week (On Wednesday afternoon) in the forest area of Gadole in Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, after the security forces had received the specific input about the presence of the millitants.

The security forces had laid the cordon and search operation near the suspicious spot in Gadole area. However, during the initial firing, at least 3 top security officials, including Jammu and Kashmir Police’s DySP got serious injuries, and later they all succumbed to their injuries.

Talking to Arising State, Arif Rasheed, a regional journalist working with ANN Channel, who is covering the operation in Kokernag Anantnag from the last six days said that, “We are three kilometer away from the encounter spot, and are hearing only gunfire shots and explosions from the encounter spot.”

He further said that, “no one knows the reality of the ongoing encounter yet, while the firing is going on near the encounter site.”

Earlier, ADGP Kashmir said that, “two to three militants are trapped in the area,” and had also asked retired army, police officers to avoid ‘Ambush Hypothesis’.