NEW DELHI: A junior commissioned officer (JCO) was killed while three more soldiers were injured on Sunday in an ongoing anti-terror operation in a remote forest area in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Kishtwar district, officials said.
The deceased soldier was identified as Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF). He was a part of joint operation launched in general area of Bhart Ridge in Kishtwar on Saturday following the recent killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs). .
The encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists around 11 am after joint Army and police teams located the militants in Keshwan forest, near where the bodies of VDGs Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were discovered with gunshot wounds.
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Following the terrorists’ abduction and murder of the VDGs, extensive search operations commenced in Kuntwara and Keshwan forests on Thursday evening.
The Army’s White Knight Corps in Jammu posted on X: “Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a joint operation was launched by security forces in general area Bhart Ridge, Kishtwar. This is the same group which had abducted and killed 02 (two) innocent villagers (village defence guards). Contact was established and firefight ensued.”
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Officials reported that four Army personnel sustained injuries during the initial exchange of fire. They were transported to hospital, where three were reported to be in a critical state.
A police spokesperson verified that ongoing combat operations were targeting the terrorists responsible for the VDG killings.
According to official sources, approximately three to four terrorists were surrounded in the area.
Reports indicated that sporadic gunfire exchanges continued in the region at the time of the latest update.
(With inputs from agency)
