JAMMU, AUGUST 14: An Army officer died on Wednesday in a fierce gun battle with terrorists who have been hiding in the dense Akar forests in Doda district’s Assar area adjoining the picturesque Patnitop hill resort in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Search for the terrorists continues amidst heavy firefight. One officer has been injured while leading the search party. War like stores have been recovered as operations continue,” tweeted White Knight Corps on X (formerly Twitter).
Sources, however, said that the officer after being evacuated to the hospital succumbed to injuries. However, there has been no official confirmation yet.
The the contact with terrorists was established after the Army and police, based on specific intelligence inputs, launched a joint operation in Akar Forest near Patnitop last night.
Sources said that a civilian Pyyar Singh, who had got trapped in the exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces, too was injured. He was also evacuated to the hospital.
Significantly, this followed a few hours after the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar had on Tuesday visited forward locations of counter-insurgency Delta force in Doda and Kishtwar, and reviewed the ongoing anti-terrorist operations in the Chenab valley region of the Union Territory.
He exhorted all ranks to maintain a high tempo of operations, ensuring security and safety for ongoing and upcoming events, the Army’s Northern Command posted on X.
“He (Lt Gen Kumar) assessed the options for deployment of additional forces being inducted into the area and emphasised on synergy with Jammu and Kashmir police and paramilitary forces,” the post read.
The higher reaches of Doda district have witnessed over half-a-dozen incidents of terrorist attacks at different places since June 12 which have resulted into the death of four soldiers, including a captain.
Three three foreign terrorists too have been killed by the security forces and police during joint operations in the district.
Security forces and police have initiated a massive search operation in the upper reaches of Doda, Kathua and Udhampur districts to track down and neutralise the terrorists who are believed to have infiltrated from across the border and managed to reach the dense forests in their effort to revive terrorism in the peaceful Jammu region.