Army captain martyred in Jammu; four terrorists killed

SRINAGAR: An army officer was martyred yesterday in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, where security was beefed up on the occasion of Independence Day. The martyred army officer has been identified as Captain Deepak Singh of 48 Rashtriya Rifles. A local was also injured. According to reports, four terrorists were killed by the army.

The encounter took place in the Shivgarh Assar forest area of ​​Jammu's Doda district, which has been witnessing an increase in terrorist attacks recently. The Army and the Jammu Kashmir police surrounded the area after receiving information that four terrorists were hiding in the area. The terrorists opened fire at the security forces while the search was progressing. The encounter became fierce as the Army retaliated. A US-made M4 rifle, blood-stained clothes and four bags containing various tools were recovered from the terrorists' base.

An encounter had taken place between the Army and the terrorists in the forest of Patnitop near Udhampur on Tuesday evening. The Army surrounded the region at night. In the meantime, the terrorists entered the forest region in Doda. The encounter took place again when the Army resumed the operation at around 7.30 am on Wednesday. Two soldiers were martyred in Anantnag district on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of top officials to review security in Jammu and Kashmir. Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also participated in the meeting.