STATE TIMES NEWS
Rajouri: Four Army personnel, including two captains, were martyred and two others were injured during an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Rajouri district on Wednesday, officials said.
The fierce gunfight was going on in the area with the induction of more troops to neutralise two terrorists trapped there, they said.
Officials said two captains, a havildar and a jawan have lost their lives during the encounter.
A major and another jawan suffered injuries in the encounter, they said, adding the injured have been shifted to the Army’s Command Hospital in Udhampur.
The encounter broke out between terrorists and joint forces of the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Bajimaal area of Dharmsal following a cordon-and-search operation, the police said.
In a post on X, the White Knight Corps of the Army said that based on specific intelligence, joint operations were launched in the Kalakote area of Gulabgarh forest in Rajouri on Sunday.
“Contact established on 22 Nov and intense firefight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded and operations are in progress, amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by own bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of IndianArmy. #Whiteknightcorps salutes the supreme sacrifice,” it said.
Officials said the operation has been intensified with induction of additional troops.
Local residents said that a cordon-and-search operation has been going on in the area since Sunday to track down terrorists operating in the area.
“Due to the operation we were asked to stay back at home and not venture out. Our children stayed back at home and did not attend the school,” a villager told PTI.
The firing is going on in the forest area close to the village, he said.
Officials said the two terrorists trapped at the encounter site in Bajimaal appeared to be foreign nationals and had been moving around in the area since Sunday. They even took shelter at a place of worship, they said.
Former Minister and Additional General Secretary National Conference, Ajay Sadhotra paid rich tribute to four Army personnel
“Our hearts go to the families of the martyrs on losing their dear ones, who offered supreme sacrifice while fighting with terrorists for defending the Sovereignty and Integrity of the Nation “,Sadhotra said in a message, adding that indebted nation salutes the valour of the warriors.
Sadhotra condemned the incidents of terrorism, saying terror violence has no place in a civilized society. Time has come to tackle the terrorists sternly, who have unleashed terror regime in our land of Rishis and Sufis.
JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla, Senior Vice President & Media Incharge Ravinder Sharma, DCC President Shabir Ahmed Khan and other leaders have said, “Today’s martyrdom is a major loss and we express our deepest sympathies with their families and share their grief and shock. It’s a matter of grave concern that terrorism has been on rise in various parts including in Twin border district.”
The party fully stands behind army and security forces to deal with the threat of terrorism and to ensure the safety and security of common people and the jawans.
Expressing profound sorrow and grief, Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, said, “I am deeply saddened to hear that the two Army captains, a JCO, and an Army Major, were martyred in the encounter with the terrorists in Rajouri. I am deeply shocked by the loss of lives. My heart goes out to the families of these brave hearts.”
The latest encounter in Rajouri comes close on the heels of another gunfight in Behrote in Budhal area on November 17, in which one terrorist was killed.
Two earlier ambushes in the Mendhar area of Poonch and Kandi forest of Rajouri on April 20 and May 5 respectively had claimed the lives of 10 soldiers.
According to officials, 46 deaths have been recorded in terrorism-related incidents in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and nearby Reasi district since January this year.
While 23 people, including seven terrorists and nine security personnel, were killed in Rajouri, 15 terrorists and five security personnel have been killed in Poonch district. Three terrorists were killed in Reasi district.
