J&K News: Amid an ongoing operation in the higher reaches of Jammu region's Doda district, an Army captain was killed on Wednesday. According to sources: Captain Deepak (48 RR) has been killed in an encounter with militants in the Assar area of the Akar Forests near Patnitop.
Meanwhile, earlier, the Indian Army's White Knight Corps said that the search for the terrorists continued amidst heavy firefights, and war like stores have been recovered. According to news agency PTI, four terrorists were believed to be killed.
"Op Assar: Update 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," White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
In view of the rising terror-related incidents in J&K, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has called an important meeting to assess the security situation in the region. The meeting is underway in South Block, and it is being attended by NSA Ajit Doval, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and heads of other security-related agencies.
All Ranks of the White Knight Corps salute the supreme sacrifice of Braveheart Captain Deepak Singh, who succumbed to his injuries. White Knight Corps offers its deepest condolences and stands firm with the bereaved family in this hour of grief.
The encounter broke 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, they said.
Four blood-soaked rucksacks have been recovered from the site of the gunbattle. M-4 carbines were also found, the officials said. "The terrorists are holed up in a riverine in Assar," an official said, as quoted by PTI.
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, they said.
Security forces established contact with the terrorists around 6 pm in Udhampur on Tuesday, PTI reported, citing officials. 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.