Jammu and Kashmir: Army official killed in encounter with terrorists in Akhnoor sector; search operation underway

Jammu and Kashmir: According to officials on Saturday, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army succumbed to injuries in an encounter with terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector but their infiltration bid was thwarted.

They said alert army troops detected the movement of a group of heavily armed terrorists near a stream in a dense forested area in the Keri Bhattal area late Friday night. Upon challenging them, a fierce gunfight broke out, which lasted for an extended period, PTI reported.

Officials added the whole area has been cordoned off with deployment of reinforcements and a search operation was in progress when last updates were received.

It follows two days after the India and Pakistan chaired a brigade commander-level flag meeting in Poonch district to talk about the issues related to border management. Since February, it was the second such meeting in a bid to de-escalate tension after approximately a dozen incidents of cross-border firing, including an IED attack.

Army personnel killed on February 11

Two Army personnel, comprising Naik Mukesh Singh Manhas and captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi from Jharkhand, lost their lives and another was injured when terrorists set off an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on February 11 in the Bhattal area of Akhnoor around 3:50 pm when they were on patrolling duty near a forward post. After a two week leave, Manhas had re-joined his Army unit on January 28 and was supposed to get married on April 20.

The Indian army registered a strong protest with their counterparts over the cross-border terror activities and the ceasefire violations, which along the LoC have not been frequent since India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021, PTI report said. The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel killed a Pakistani intruder along the International Border in the R S Pura sector and later conducted a flag meeting with Rangers over the incident.