Two senior officers of the Army and a senior cop of the J&K Police were killed in a gunfight in Anantnag on Wednesday. Jammu and Kashmir officials said a colonel and a major of the Indian Army and a deputy superintendent of the J&K Police were killed in the gunfight, reported news agency PTI.
According to some media reports, one of the martyrs was identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh of the 19 Rashtriya Rifle of the Indian Army. The others were identified as Major Aashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Himanyun Muzamil Bhat.
Former J&K CM expressed his condolences over the incident.
The gunfight ensued when the security forces launched a counter-terrorism operation in the Gadole area of Kokernag Tehsil in Anantnag district, where terrorists were hiding, on Wednesday morning, reported PTI, quoting a police officer.
The Resistance Front, a shadow group of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Army officers were leading the troops from the front after they went to search for terrorists in the area based on specific intelligence, Indian Army officials were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Security personnel killed two terrorists in an encounter on Tuesday in Rajouri's Narla. The encounter continued till Wednesday. According to officials, security forces, during a search, warlike stores, including medicines with Pakistani markings, reported news agency ANI. The movements of the two terrorists were being monitored since September 7 by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, according to the Defence PRO, Lt Col Suneel Bartwal.
The operation began on Monday night when security forces launched a search operation in the forested Patrada area. According to the security personnel, they noticed suspicious movement, which prompted them to fire a few rounds at two persons. However, both the suspects managed to flee in the darkness and under the cover of the forest. They left behind a bag, a few clothes, and other articles that were recovered by the search parties.
"On September 12, troops surrounded the terrorists, and a fierce gunfight followed, resulting in the death of one terrorist that same evening. The second terrorist was chased and neutralized on September 13 after another intense gunfight throughout the night, despite poor weather and challenging terrain."
An Army officer and a six-year-old female Labrador of the Army's dog unit, also died while three security personnel were injured in the shootout.