In the ongoing operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri sector, one militant has been killed and another wounded, said Army officials today.
Following the death of five Army personnel in a blast triggered by militants on Friday, fresh firing started today after a contact was established between security forces and terrorists in Rajouri district, officials said.
The army has named the operation as "OP TRINETRA"
The slain soldiers were lance naik Ruchin Singh Rawat from Gairsain in Uttarakhand, paratrooper Siddhant Chettri from Darjeeling in West Bengal, naik Arvind Kumar from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, Havildar Neelam Singh from Jammu and paratrooper Pramod Negi from Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.
Advertisement
What did the Army say?
"In the ongoing joint operation in Kandi Forest, Rajouri sector by Indian Army in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF, at approx 0700 hours the cordon while closing in spotted and pinned down the terrorists. In the ensuing gunbattle One Terrorist has been neutralised and amother is likely to be injured.", the Army said today.
It has been reported that Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Army Commander Northern Command, visited the area reviewing the operational situation.
The army said the Army commander visited ground zero to review ongoing operations at Kandi Rajouri where contact was re-established with militants.
Advertisement
He was briefed on all aspects of the operations by ground commanders, the army said.
According to a statement from the Army’s Northern Command, its personnel have been conducting "relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region last month".
"In the ongoing operation in Kandi Forest in Rajouri sector, contact was established with terrorists at 0115 hours today and firing was started," PRO Defence Lt Col Devender Anand said.
"On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3. Around 7.30 am on Friday, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave," they said.
The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs.
Security measures beefed up in Rajouri
Officials said additional troops of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army were inducted into the area to put it in a tight cordon so that terrorists do not escape from the spot.
The forces deployed drones and sniffer dogs and troops hit a cave hideout with heavy fire of mortars and grenades, they said.
"The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation," it said.
On Friday morning, two soldiers belonging to the special forces were killed and four, including the major, were injured during the operation.
Advertisement
Later in the day, three died in a hospital in Udhampur.
(With PTI Inputs)
