Army officer killed in action during encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda

An Army captain was killed in a gunfight that broke out between security forces and unidentified terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Wednesday.

The encounter broke out in a thickly forested area during a cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt in Doda's Assar area.

The security personnel also recovered an M4 rifle, clothes, and three rucksacks from the area.

"A captain of the Indian Army from the 48 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in action during the ongoing Op Assar in Doda district. Operations are still in progress," Defence Ministry officials said.

According to sources, the terrorists are believed to be hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt and some of them might have also got injured as blood stains were spotted in the area.

A search operation for the terrorists was also launched in the area amidst the heavy gunfight, the Army's White Knight Corps said in a post on X.

"*Op ASSAR* Based on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation by #IndianArmy and #JKP was launched in Akar Forest near Patnitop. Contact has been established with the terrorists and operations are in progress," it said in a post on X.

"Op Assar: Update Search for the terrorists continues amidst heavy firefight...," it added.

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi, briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the ongoing anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir including Doda, sources said.

The terrorists crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in the adjacent Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists there.

According to officials, security forces established contact with the terrorists around 6 pm in Udhampur on Tuesday. The encounter began about half an hour later and continued intermittently until both sides paused. A cordon was established overnight.

The search resumed at daylight. At about 7.30 am on Wednesday, there was a renewed exchange of fire, officials said.

Source: India Today