Two soldiers were killed and two were injured in an ongoing anti-militancy operation against a group of militants in Kishtwar district, on Friday (September 13, 2024), a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu amd Kashmir. In a separate incident, a gunfight broke out in north Kashmir’s Baramulla.
Security personnel keep vigil during an enconter in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. File | Photo Credit: PTI
An Army spokesman said four Army personnel were injured in the initial exchange of fire with terrorists in Kishtwar’s Chatroo area. All the injured were shifted from the encounter site. However, two soldiers died of injuries later. They were identified as Naib Sudedar Vipan Kumar and Sepoy Arvind Singh.
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A group of two to three heavily armed militants were encircled by the security forces in Chatroo area on Friday and the gunfight erupted around 3.30 p.m. The militants were holed up in a forested area. Additional troops have been rushed in to augment the cordon for the night in the area, officials said. The Army said the anti-militancy operation was based on intelligence inputs.
In north Kashmir, another group of militants was engaged in a gunfight. A police spokesman said the encounter broke out at Chak Tapper Kreeri Pattan area of Baramulla. “Police and security forces are on the job,” the police said.
The number of trapped militants could not be ascertained immediately.
The twin gunfights were reported just a day ahead of Mr. Modi’s address at an election rally in the Chenab Valley’s Doda district, the Prime Minister’s first rally in J&K for the upcoming Assembly elections. The ongoing Chatroo gunfight in Kishtwar is going on adjacent to the Doda district. Officials said security has been tightened in the Chenab Valley ahead of the visit on Saturday (September 14, 2024).
Published - September 13, 2024 10:04 pm IST
