Srinagar | Security forces launched a massive search operation in the forests of Kokernag area in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag to locate two missing soldiers after losing contact with them during a combing exercise in the area to track down terrorists, officials said on Wednesday.

The combing operation was launched two days ago in the Ahlan Gadole area of Kokernag as following inputs that a group to terrorists was hiding there, they said.

However, two soldiers, who are part of the elite para unit, went missing as their communication line went out, the officials said, adding that helicopters were pressed into aerial reconnaissance in a bid to locate the missing soldiers.

Ahlan Gadole has become the new hotspot of terrorism in Kashmir as the area witnessed two major encounters in August 2024 and September 2023.

While two soldiers and a civilian were killed in a fierce gun battle with terrorists last year, four security forces personnel, including two army officers and a police officer, laid down their lives while tracking down the ultras in the dense forests.

The search operation was going on till last reports came in, the officials said.