SRINAGAR: Four Army men, including Colonel and Major-rank officers and a J&K Police Sub-Inspector, were killed in a fierce gunbattle in the Chanjimulla Handwara forest area in the border district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
Two terrorists have been killed in the encounter.
The gunbattle ensued when a joint team of Army and J&K police launched a search operation in Chanjimulla Handwara area on Saturday evening after receiving inputs about presence of two militants there.
The terrorists had taken the some civilians of Handwara into hostage, the defence spokesperson said. The Armymen and the cops, who took on the terrorists during the fierce gunfight that lasted the whole night, lost four jawans including Colonel Ashutosh Sharma and Major Anuj and a J&K police Sub-Inspector. A few jawans have also been injured, the spokesperson added.
The encounter ended in the early hours of Sunday after the two terrorists were killed.
“A team comprising five Army and J&K Police personnel entered the target area occupied by the militants and successfully evacuated the civilian hostages. They entered the target area and successfully extricated the civilians,” he said.
However, during the process, the team was subjected to the heavy volume of fire by the terrorists and in the ensuing firefight two militants were killed, he said.
Bodies of the militants have been recovered and their identity and affiliation are being ascertained.