Army officer killed in action, 3 soldiers injured during encounter in J&K

www.mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Nov 11, 2024: Army officer was killed in action and three soldiers were injured during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar.

The army’s 16 Corps in a post on X said the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar was killed in action in a joint counter-terror operation launched in Kishtwar’s Bhart Ridge on Saturday. Naib Subedar Kumar was from the 2 Para (SF).

The encounter broke out around 11 am when joint search parties of the Army and police intercepted the terrorists in the Keshwan forest, a few kilometres from the spot where the bullet-riddled bodies of VDGs Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were found.

A massive search operation was launched in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan on Thursday evening after the terrorists abducted and killed the VDGs.

The Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post 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." The officials said four Army personnel were injured in the initial gunfight and evacuated to a hospital, where one dead and the condition of two  stated to be "critical".