Army Officer Among Four Personnel Killed in Doda Encounter

Four army personnel, including an officer, were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter was part of an intensified anti-terror operation. The region has seen a surge in terror activities recently, attributed to attempts by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism.

Four army personnel, including an officer, died following a gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, officials reported on Tuesday. Reinforcements were immediately dispatched to track down and neutralize the militants.

This incident marks the third major clash between security forces and terrorists in Doda district’s forests over the past three weeks. Just a week earlier, a terrorist ambush in Kathua district resulted in the deaths of five soldiers and injuries to several others.

The joint operation, involving troops from the Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police, commenced late Monday evening in the Desa forest belt. The encounter occurred around 9 pm.

Following an initial exchange of fire, the terrorists attempted to flee but were pursued by the troops, leading to another intense firefight. Five soldiers were critically injured, four of whom, including the officer, later succumbed to their injuries.

The Army's 16 Corps, or White Knight Corps, highlighted on 'X' that the joint operation was based on precise intelligence inputs, leading to the heavy firefight which ensued at around 2100 hrs.

Despite mobilizing additional forces and conducting extensive searches on Tuesday, no fresh contact was made with the terrorists, who are believed to have infiltrated from across the border and been hiding for months.

The uptick in terror attacks in the Jammu region has been notable since late 2021, attributed to efforts by Pakistani handlers to rekindle terrorism in the area. Over 70 individuals, including 52 security personnel, have lost their lives in terror-related incidents in the region since then.

Security forces have also eliminated 54 terrorists in response to the surge in attacks, primarily concentrated in the Rajouri and Poonch districts.