While two army jawans were martyred in Mendhar forests on Friday, five others including a JCO died in action against militants near DKG on Monday
JAMMU, OCTOBER 16: The bodies of a JCO and an Army jawan, who went missing during operation against militants hiding inside dense Nar Khas forests in Mendhar on Thursday evening, were recovered on Saturday taking death toll among security forces to nine in the ongoing encounter during the past six days.
An Army spokesperson Lt Colonel Devender Anand here said the bodies of a Junior Commissioned Officer and an Army jawan were recovered from Nar Khas forests in Mendhar area on Saturday evening.
Identifying the martyred soldiers as Subedar Ajay Singh and Naik Harendra Singh, saying “they were part of the search operations launched by the security forces to flush out militants hiding in the forested area. On Thursday, after a fierce firefight with militants, the communication with Subedar Ajay Singh and Naik Harendra Singh was disrupted,’’ he added.
“Relentless operations continued to neutralize the militants and to re-establish communication with the soldiers,’’ he said, adding “Subedar Ajay Singh and Naik Harendra Singh were killed in action in the fierce fight and their bodies have been recovered on Saturday evening’’. The operations in the area are continuing, he added.
With this, the total death toll among security forces in continued operation against militants during the past six days has risen to nine as the bodies of two army jawans, rifleman Vikram Singh Negi and rifleman Yogambar Singh, both residents of Uttrakhand were recovered on Friday. While 26-year-old Negi hailed from Viman Gaon in Tehri Garhwal district, Yogambar Singh was resident of Sankari village in Chamoli district.
All the four, sources said, had gone missing during fierce gun fight with militants on Thursday evening in the forests near Bhata Durian along the Bimber Gali – Surankote road. Since then, the vehicular traffic on the road has been suspended.
DIG for Rajouri-Poonch zone, Vivek Gupta, while talkin to media persons said that militants are the same group who had contact with security forces in the forests at Chamred in Poonch and adjoining Pangai in Rajouri district on Monday. A JCO and four jawans had died during fierce gun fight with militants at Chamred on Monday morning.
“We had observed their movement two and a half months ago. However, it takes time depending on the topography of the area as forests itself provide natural cover to militants,’’ he said.
The Army had established contact with militants thrice during the past six days, the first being in the forests of Chamred near DKG on the Mughal Road on Monday where a JCO and four jawans were killed. By the same evening, the fire fight between troops and militants spread to the adjoining Pangai area on the side of Rajouri district as the latter fled there and the third at Bhata Durian on Thursday.
Sources said that militants are part of the group who after crossing over to this side of the LoC from Pakistan was intercepted by police and security forces at Pangai in Rajouri district in August last. Three militants were killed in two different encounters there, sources said, adding that others who managed to escape appear to have stuck in the forests and they were unable to move to Shopian in Kashmir in view of the intensified vigil enroute.
