An Army Major and two jawans were injured in a gunbattle with militants in Poonch district as the operation against ultras in the region entered the fourth day on Friday.
Troops of 37 Rashtriya Rifles were conducting the operation around 04:30 hrs when militants perched on mountain tops fired on them resulting in exchanges, Defence Spokesman Lt. Col. Biplav Nath said.
In the encounter, a Major and two jawans were injured, he said, adding the gunbattle is going on when reports last came in from the area.
The injured Armymen have been airlifted by a chopper to the military hospital in Udhampur. They have been identified as Major G. S. Shekhawat, Naik Narendra Kumar and Sepoy Bhanu Pratap.
The anti-terrorist operation was launched by Army’s 37 Rashtriya Rifle (RR) troops after inputs about infiltration of a group of 10 to 12 militants in Mankote forest belt on July 13.
During the operation, an Army major was killed and six other securitymen, including a Colonel, injured in an encounter with suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists on July 13.
Major Amit Phunge was killed in the encounter with the militants while Colonel Ajay Katoch of 47 Rashtriya Rifles was injured.
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed on Thursday in an encounter with security forces in Beri-Rakh forest in the district.
The operation is going on in the area to track down the rest of the militants in this dense forest belt close to the Line of Control in Mankote-Mendhar belt, an Army official said.
