NEW DELHI: An Army sniffer dog from 2 Para (Special Forces) led troops to a Jaish-e-Mohammed hideout in Kishtwar on Sunday and continued the operation despite being shot, helping eliminate three terrorists, including a long-elusive commander.
Tyson, a trained German Shepherd attached to the elite Para SF unit, was the first to pick up movement in the Chhatroo area.
Sources said that as troops advanced through dense forests and steep terrain, the K9 crawled into a concealed hideout, triggering immediate gunfire from the terrorists.
They added that despite being shot in the leg, Tyson continued to advance, allowing soldiers to accurately pin down the hideout.
The contact soon escalated into a firefight, in which three Jaish terrorists were killed.
Tyson was evacuated and is stable.
Among those neutralised was Saifullah Balochi, a top Jaish-e-Mohammed operative active in the region for nearly two years, who had repeatedly evaded security forces during earlier operations.
Carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakh, he was among the most wanted terrorists in the area and led the JeM module behind the July 2024 ambush on 10 Rashtriya Rifles that killed Capt Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra and Sepoy Ajay Kumar Singh.
Two AK-47 rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores were recovered from the site, suggesting the group was preparing for sustained operations in the area.
“The hunt continues — those who seek to disturb peace will find no sanctuary,” the XVI Corps said on X Sunday.
The encounter is being seen as a breakthrough in the ongoing Operation Trashi-I, which is focused on flushing out terrorists from Kishtwar’s dense forests and high-altitude pockets, including Chhatroo, Sonnar, Dolgam and Dichhar.
The incident has once again highlighted the operational value of Army dogs in counter-terror missions, particularly in difficult terrain where human detection is limited.
In October 2024, another Army dog, Phantom, a Belgian Malinois, was killed in action while shielding troops during an encounter, underscoring the risks these animals face on the frontlines alongside soldiers.