Army officer among four soldiers killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda
SRINAGAR: Four army personnel, including an officer, who were critically injured in a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists, succumbed to injuries in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday, official sources said.
The encounter took place when the troops of Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of J&K Police launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in Desa forest belt, 55 km from Doda town, late on Monday evening, the officials said.
According to security officials, as the search operation was going on, militants fired from automatic weapons towards the search party at around 9 pm.
“The fire was returned by the troops, and in the ensuing fight, five soldiers were injured,” the official said.
The injured army men were evacuated to a nearby military hospital, where four of the critically injured succumbed to injuries today morning.
Among the deceased soldiers is an officer.
The security official said the search operation in the forest area is going on.
Additional army, police and paramilitary personnel have been rushed to the forest area to tighten the siege and assist the security men on the ground in the search operation.
The security men were using drones and sniffer dogs to track down the movement of the militants.
It is the second major militant attack on security forces in Jammu region in the last eight days.
Earlier this month, on July 8, militants ambushed an army convoy in the border district of Kathua in which five soldiers were killed and five others injured.
The militants, according to security agencies, are making concerted efforts to shift militancy to the Jammu region from Kashmir. Militants have carried out a series of attacks on security forces in Jammu region in the last few years
A statement by the Indian army on X stated that Indian Army stands firm with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.
“COAS General Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks of Indian Army convey their deepest condolences to the #Bravehearts Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra & Sepoy Ajay, who laid down their lives in the line of duty while undertaking a counter-terrorist operation in Doda in order to ensure peace in the region,” Army posted on X.
Meanwhile, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha strongly condemned the terrorist attack on security forces in the Doda district.
“I am deeply anguished to learn about the cowardly attack on our Army soldiers and JKP personnel in Doda district. Tributes to brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice protecting our nation. My deepest condolences to members of the bereaved families,” Sinha posted on X.
“We will avenge the death of our soldiers and thwart the evil designs of terrorists and their associates. I call upon the people to unite in the fight against terrorism & provide us accurate information so that we can intensify anti-terror operations & neutralise the terror ecosystem,” he added.