The soldiers were conducting anti-terror search operations when they got stuck following heavy snowfall on January 23. On the eve of Republic Day, villagers in Jammu and Kashmir’s hilly Doda district trekked nearly 15 kilometres through 5-6 feet of snow to help over 20 Army personnel stranded at an altitude of around 11,000 feet. Walking for almost five hours across mountainous terrain, the modestly equipped villagers carved a narrow passage through the snow to reach the soldiers, in an operation that underscored grit and solidarity. Sources told The Indian Express that the personnel were conducting anti-terror search operations when they got stuck following heavy snowfall on January 23. The troops had been deployed to Morcha Top in the Gundna block – a mountain ridge bordering Kishtwar district’s Chhatru area – as part of Operation Trashi-1, which has been underway in the dense forests for nearly a fortnight.