New Delhi:

Army officer was killed in action and three soldiers were injured during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar.

The army’s 16 Corps in a post on X said the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar was killed in action in a joint counter-terror operation launched in Kishtwar’s Bhart Ridge on Saturday.

Naib Subedar Kumar was from the 2 Para (SF).

The anti-terror operation comes amid an intensified hunt since the killing of two village defence guards (VDGs) recently. The latest encounter broke out around 11 am when joint search parties of the army and the police intercepted terrorists in a forest, a few kilometres from the spot where the bullet-riddled bodies of VDGs Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were found.

A massive search operation was launched in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan on Thursday evening after the terrorists kidnapped and killed the VDGs.

Srinagar:

J&K Encounter: Two security personnel are injured as heavy exchange of fire continues with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar, the third such encounter that broke out in the past 24 hours. A junior commissioned officer (JCO) is among the two injured soldiers.

The encounter in Kishtwar broke out after the security forces cornered the terrorists who were behind the killing of two village defence guards two days ago.

“Encounter begins at Keshwan Kishtwar between terrorists and Security forces. 3/4 terrorists believed to be trapped. This is same group which killed the 2 innocent villagers,” said police.

Earlier in the day, another encounter broke out in the Zabarwan forest on Srinagar.

“A joint Police and security forces operation was launched in Zabarwan forest area of #Srinagar based on specific intelligence about the presence of #terrorists. An exchange of fire ensued during the operation,” said Kashmir Zone Police.

This followed an encounter in Baramullah district yesterday in which a terrorist was gunned down. The security forces and state police had launched a joint operation in Rajpura after they observed suspicious activity.

The encounter broke out after the terrorists opened fire at the forces. “One terrorist has been neutralised by the security forces in the ongoing Operation in general area Rajpura, Sopore, Baramulla,” said the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps.

Srinagar:

Three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district this morning, sources said. The gunfight began in the Chak Taper Kreeri in the Pattan area of the north Kashmir district late Friday after a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir police based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists.

The operation is going on.

Joint operation with @JmuKmrPolice in progress at #Baramulla. https://t.co/YZY7MLjYeopic.twitter.com/GkvBlwRJ2k

— NORTHERN COMMAND – INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) September 14, 2024

In a separate encounter, troops of the Army’s Rising Star Corps unit shot dead two terrorists in Kathua on Friday.

“Large war-like stores were recovered after the operations concluded,” they said in a statement on X.

#

In the Joint operation launched on 11 Sep by & & , Two Terrorists Neutralised & Large War Like Stores Recovered. … pic.twitter.com/SE4bfRVmNL

— Rising Star Corps_IA (@RisingStarCorps) September 13, 2024

Earlier Friday, two Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed in action and an equal number injured in an encounter with terrorists in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

The gunfight broke out when a joint security party of the Army and police, acting on a tip-off, launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Naidgham area in the Chhatroo belt connecting Kishtwar with south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

#GeneralUpendraDwivedi#COAS and All Ranks of #IndianArmy salute the supreme sacrifice of the #Bravehearts Nb Sub Vipan Kumar and Sep Arvind Singh, who laid down their lives in the line of duty in J&K and express deepest condolences to the bereaved families. https://t.co/4eGMGpTxDk

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 14, 2024

Four Army personnel were injured in the gunbattle and two of them — Naib Subedar Vipan Kumar, a JCO, and Sepoy Arvind Singh — later died, the officials said, adding that one of the soldiers died of splinter injuries caused by a grenade explosion and another of a bullet injury in the head.

PM Modi’s Jammu And Kashmir Visit

These encounters happened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega poll rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.

Multi-tier security has been deployed across the twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar, particularly around the venue, to ensure a peaceful and smooth conduct of the election rally.

This will be the first visit by a prime minister to Doda in the last 42 years.

Voting in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections will be held in three phases – September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.

This is the first Assembly election in J&K in 10 years, and the first since the abrogation of Article 370 – which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir – and Article 35A – which empowered Jammu and Kashmir’s legislature to decide who the erstwhile state’s permanent residents were.