Army officer, four others killed in encounter in J&K's Poonch
An Indian Army officer and four other soldiers were killed in an encounter with terrorists during an anti-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district today, officials have confirmed. The operation took place in a village close to Dera Ki Gali in Surankote after intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in that area. Here are more details on this.
Terrorists had opened fire on search parties
The terrorists opened fire on the search parties, leading to a fierce gunfight in the early hours of Monday. A Junior Commissioned Officer and four other soldiers got critically injured and later succumbed to their wounds. Meanwhile, a group of terrorists is still present in the Chamrer forest, officials said, adding reinforcements have been rushed to the area to seal all escape routes.
The operation is still going on: Indian Army
"The critically injured JCO and four jawans were evacuated to the nearest medical facility but succumbed to their injuries. The operation is still going on," the Indian Army said in an official statement.
Earlier today, two terrorists were killed in separate encounters
Earlier in the day, two terrorists were killed and a policeman was injured during separate encounters in Anantnag and Bandipora districts. "Killed terrorist has been identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF). He was involved in a recent civilian killing at Shahgund, Bandipora," Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar said, referring to the Bandipora encounter.
Over 700 detained in J&K after civilian killings
Separately, security forces have detained more than 700 people in J&K in response to the killing of seven civilians in recent days. Several of those detained are believed to have links with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami or are suspected overground workers. Police says the attacks may have been triggered by an increase in radicalism following the Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan.
