Jammu: An Army captain was killed and four terrorists believed to be gunned down in an ongoing operation in the higher reaches of Jammu region’s Doda district on Wednesday, officials said.
A civilian was also injured in the encounter that broke out a day ahead of Independence Day and is the latest in a series of incidents in the Jammu region that has witnessed a spike in violence.
Bullets rang out in a thickly forested area during a cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt, officials said.
The young captain was critically injured and shifted to a military hospital where he breathed his last, they said.
Four blood-soaked rucksacks were recovered from the site, leading officials to believe that four terrorists were killed. M-4 carbines were also found, the officials said.
The terrorists are holed up near a river in Assar, an official said.
The Army, however, maintained on its official X handle that an officer was injured.
“Search for the terrorists continues amidst heavy firefight. One officer has been injured while leading the search party. War-like stores have been recovered as operations continue,” the White Knight Corps said in a post.
The terrorists crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in adjacent Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists there, officials said.
According to officials, security forces established contact with the terrorists around 6 pm in Udhampur on Tuesday. The encounter began about half an hour later and continued intermittently until both sides paused. A cordon was established overnight.
The search was resumed at daylight. At about 7;30 am today, there was a renewed exchange of fire, officials said. –(PTI)
