Two Captains, 2 jawans killed in Rajouri gunfight; Major among three injured

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, November 22

Four Army personnel — two Captains and two jawans, one of them an elite Para (Special Forces) commando — were killed in a gunfight with two terrorists in Rajouri district of Jammu division. A Major and two jawans were reportedly injured in the gunfight.

Terror acts on rise

Oct 2 3 Army men hurt in search op at Broh forest in Kalakote after contact with two-three terrorists

Nov 17 Security forces eliminate an unidentified foreign terrorist at Behrot in Budhal, Rajouri

Nov 15 Police arrest three terror operatives of the LeT in Poonch, recover arms and ammunition

Sept 12 Security forces kill a suspected Pakistani terrorist in a gunfight at Narala village in Rajouri

The operation started on Wednesday morning when a joint search party of the security forces reached the area where the two militants were hiding. The terrorists involved in the encounter have also been injured, according to the Army. The encounter is continuing in the Dharmsal region of the district.

The encounter started after the search party of the Army and the J&K Police reached the area from where reports of suspicious movement of two persons were received. The encounter started soon after the two militants were located by the security forces.

Inspector General, Jammu division, Anand Jain said, “The encounter started between terrorists and a joint team of the Army and the J&K Police in the Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in Rajouri district. Two terrorists are believed to be trapped”.

In an official statement, Nagrota-based 16 Corps of the Army said, “Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched in the Gulabgarh forest area of Kalakote in Rajouri on November 19. Contact was established on November 22 and an intense firefight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded, and the operation is in progress amid acts of valour and sacrifice by bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in keeping with the highest traditions of the Army”.

Heavy security deployment was made soon after the encounter started to block all escape points near the site. It is believed that the militants are Pakistan trained and in possession of sophisticated arms and ammunition. Villagers in proximity to the area were asked not to venture out of their homes.

Sources in the Army intelligence said 63 Rastriya Rifles (RR) and Special Para commandos were involved in the operation. The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police is part of the operation while the Army’s elite Para (Special Forces) was called in later to the encounter site to flush out the militants. The operation is difficult as it is taking place in a rugged terrain in a forest area where the militants are hiding and firing on the security forces. Sniffer dogs of the Army were also seen near the encounter site.

A search operation was launched on November 19 when two suspicious men entered a house of a local resident in Kalakote. The police were immediately informed, who briefed the Army and a search operation was launched.

Terror activities have increased in the Pir Panjal region of Rajouri and Poonch since the beginning of the year.

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