While one soldier of the Army lost his life in the line of duty, three others received injuries in the gunbattle in the remotest forest area of Jammu and Kashmir Kishtwar district on Sunday. A group of terrorists, involved in the gruesome killing of two unarmed Village Defence Guards (VDGs), have also been trapped in the ongoing encounter.
Reports said that the encounter started this morning when a group of terrorists was intercepted by the joint search team of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Keshwan forest area of Kishtwar district.
The encounter started in the same area when the bodies of two unarmed VDG members were found on Thursday after the victims were kidnapped by the terrorists.
After the recovery of the bodies of the two VDG members, a massive search operation was launched in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan.
#GOC #WhiteknightCorps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of #Braveheart, Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF). Sub Rakesh was part of a joint #CI operation launched in general area of # Bhart Ridge #Kishtwar on 09 Nov 2024.
— White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) November 10, 2024
We stand with bereaved family in this hour of… pic.twitter.com/sh9H4gkOKm
The Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X, "Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a joint operation was launched by security forces in general area Bhart Ridge, Kishtwar. This is the same group that had abducted and killed innocent unarmed villagers (Village Defence Guards). Contact was established and a firefight ensued," the officials said.
Reports said that four Army personnel were injured in the initial gunfight and evacuated to a hospital, where the condition of three of them was stated to be "critical". One of the injured soldiers later succumbed to his injuries.
"GOC Whiteknight Corps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of Braveheart, Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF). Sub Rakesh was part of a joint CI operation launched in the general area of Bhart Ridge Kishtwar", Whitenight Corps of the Army posted on its official social media handle.
Earlier, a police spokesperson also confirmed that an encounter was underway with the terrorists responsible for the killing of the two VDGs. Three or four terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area, the official said.
The officials said intermittent fire exchange was going on until the last reports were received.
Terrorists killed two VDG members on Thursday
On Thursday, two unarmed Village Defence Group (VDG) guards were kidnapped and later killed by terrorists in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident took place in a forest area of Kishtwar. As per reports of Police Post Kuntwara two VDG members namely Nazir Ahmed, son of Mohd Khalil and resident of Ohli Kuntwara, and Kuldeep Kumar, son of Amar Chand and resident of Ohli Kuntwara, were gone to Munzla Dhar to graze their cattle but didn't return to their respective homes late in the evening and their bodies were found in jungle later.
A terror outfit, Kashmir Tigers has taken responsibility for the killings of unarmed VDG members. The terror outfit claimed that they had killed them in the name of Islam and freedom of Kashmir. After the incident, security concerns have risen in the area. Police and security forces have increased vigilance in the area and have started investigating the matter. Security forces had launched a massive search operation in the area to track down the terrorists response to the killings.
