A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army's special forces laid down his life on Sunday, while three other soldiers were injured in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district.
The deceased soldier has been identified as Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para. The operation comes amid an intensified hunt underway since the killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) recently.
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.
"GOC WhiteknightCorps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of #Braveheart, Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF). Sub Rakesh was part of a joint CT operation launched in general area of # Bhart Ridge #Kishtwar on 09 Nov 2024. We stand with bereaved family in this hour of grief," the Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
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.
Earlier, a police spokesperson also confirmed that an encounter was underway with the terrorists responsible for the killing of the two VDGs. Three or four terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area, the official said.