The number of terrorists killed in the 27-hour-long gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) rose to three as security forces gunned down two more militants holed up in a forest area in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning, officials said.
"After round-the-clock surveillance throughout the night, an intense firefight unfolded today morning resulting in a significant victory for our forces. Relentless operations and tactical excellence has led to the elimination of three terrorists," the army said in a post on X.
One of the three terrorists who fired at an ambulance that was part of an army convoy moving near the LoC was killed on Monday evening. The other two terrorists were killed on Tuesday in a span of two hours after the joint teams of the army and the police launched the final assault near the Assan temple in Jogwan village in the Battal-Khour area, PTI reported quoting officials.
The encounter has ended but the operation is on to retrieve the bodies of the terrorists who are believed to have infiltrated from across the border on Sunday night before appearing outside a temple and targeting the army convoy.
"After a night-long lull, the security forces pushed for a final assault against the holed-up terrorists at around 7 am, leading to a fresh gunfight," an official said.
A four-year-old valiant Army dog, Phantom, died after being hit by a bullet during the operation in the union territory. Seven attacks have occurred in Kashmir in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 deaths, including two soldiers.