Condoling the death of security personnel in an encounter with militants in Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
"Tributes to our courageous soldiers and security personnel martyred in Handwara. Their valour and sacrifice will never be forgotten. They served the nation with utmost dedication and worked tirelessly to protect our citizens. Condolences to their families and friends," Modi said in a tweet.
An Army Colonel and a Major were among five security personnel killed in the encounter at a village in north Kashmir's Handwara area, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said on Sunday.
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Army officers Col Ashutosh Sharma and Major Anuj, and Jammu and Kashmir Police Sub-Inspector Shakeel Qazi were among the deceased, they said.
Col Sharma was leading a team to rescue civilians who had been taken hostage by the terrorists hiding in a house at the Chanjmullah area of Handwara in frontier Kupwara district of north Kashmir on Saturday, the officials said.
They said that based on the intelligence input that terrorists were taking the civilian inmates of a house in Changimul, Handwara of Kupwara district hostage, a joint operation was launched by Army and JK Police on 02 May 2020.
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"A team comprising of five Army and JK Police personnel entered the target area occupied by the terrorists to evacuate the civilians. The team of Army and JK Police entered the target area, and successfully extricated the civilians," they said in a statement.
"However, during the process, the team was subjected to heavy volume of fire by the terrorists. In the ensuing firefight, two terrorists were eliminated and the team of five Security Forces Personnel comprising of two Army officers, two Army soldiers and one JK Police Sub Inspector attained martyrdom in the service to the Nation," they said.
Two militants were also killed by security forces during the encounter.
(With PTI Inputs)
