The Kokernag operation seems to be showcasing the limits of the most sophisticated technologies in the rugged mountainous terrains of Jammu and Kashmir.

The operation continued for the sixth consecutive day on Monday without any clarity on the whereabouts of the militants.

Official sources said the firing halted for hours during the night and in the morning but resumed during the day. Both police and army offered no updates about the gunfight on their social media handles.

Multiple videos, released informally by forces, have shown them using the most sophisticated drones including Israel-manufactured Heron to track down militants. Some of them are weaponised with the capability to hit the targets.

The forces have also extensively used mortars, snipers, under-barrel grenade launchers, rockets and heavy machine guns to target the suspected cave-like militant hideouts.

Thousands of army personnel, including elite para commandos, the CRPF and policemen are part of the operations. Top army officers including Northern Command chief Lt General Upendra Dwivedi have personally visited the spot to monitor the operations.

“It is the first time you are finding such a public display of high-tech gadgets in any gunfight here but despite that, the operation has dragged on for six days. It is still not ending. It is true we have lost three officers and our forces are treading cautiously but six days is still a long time given the kind of cutting-edge technology being employed,” a former police officer told The Telegraph.

“Most of the gunfights, normally, take place in residential areas. Our forces have mastered the art of ending these operations quickly but operations in mountainous terrain show the limits of technology. Mind you we have plenty of mountains here,” he said.

The officer cautioned that the army was employing similar gadgets on LoC but they remain outside the public gaze.

Former officers claim the gunfight, along with several others that have taken place in Jammu’s Pir Panchal region in recent years, suggests a definite shift in militant strategy to take their battle against the security establishment from the plains to the hills.

“Much of our focus has been on towns and villages but they are shifting to mountainous regions, where the operations are difficult to execute. They seem to have logistics for a long haul, take positions in natural caves and are covered by thick vegetation,” the officer said.