Four security personnel, including an army officer, who sustained severe injuries during an armed encounter with militants in a forested region of Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Monday night, tragically passed away, according to officials cited by PTI.
The clash erupted after Rashtriya Rifles troops and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police initiated a joint search operation in the Dhari Gote Urarbagi area of Desa forest around 7:45 pm, as per the PTI report.
During the initial exchange lasting more than 20 minutes, four army personnel, including an officer, and a police member were injured in the gunfire.
Additional reinforcements were deployed to the scene, as confirmed by the Army, with operations ongoing as of the latest reports.
The armed forces launched the operation based on credible information about terrorist presence, officials stated.
Police sources confirmed the exchange of gunfire in the Desa forest area, noting that further updates are awaited.
The Army’s 16 Corps, known as White Knight Corps, reported that a joint operation by the Indian Army and JKP was underway north of Doda, based on specific intelligence inputs.
“At approximately 2100 hours tonight, contact was made with terrorists resulting in a heavy firefight. Initial reports indicate injuries to our brave soldiers,” the statement read, also mentioning the deployment of additional troops and the continuation of operations.