J&K: In gunfight with terrorists in Kishtwar, Army JCO was killed in action and 3 other soldiers injured

J&K: A junior commissioned officer (JCO) of Indian Army's special forces was reported killed in an operation against terrorists while three more soldiers sustained injuries during a gunbattle with terrorists in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. The soldier has been identified as Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar.

The Army's 16 Corps, in a post on X, said the Junior Commissioned Officer, JCO, Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar died in an encounter in a joint counter-terror operation launched in Kishtwar's Bhart Ridge on Saturday.

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"GOC (General Officer Commanding) White knight 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 (counter-insurgency) operation launched in general area of Bhart Ridge Kishtwar. We stand with bereaved family in this hour of grief," the Army said in an X post.

The anti-terror operation comes amid an intensified hunt since the killing of two village defence guards (VDGs) recently. The latest encounter broke out around 11 am when joint search parties of the army and the police intercepted terrorists in a forest, a few kilometres from the spot where the bullet-riddled bodies of VDGs Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were found.

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A massive search operation was carried out in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan on Thursday evening after the terrorists kidnapped and killed the VDGs.

The encounter started earlier on Thursday when joint search parties of the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted the terrorists a few kilometers from the spot where the bullet-ridden bodies of village defence guards Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar were found.

Large scale combing was undertaken in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan on Thursday evening as the terrorists abducted and killed the defence guards.

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 which had abducted and killed 02 (two) innocent villagers (village defence guards). Contact was established and firefight ensued."

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