JAMMU: In a fresh incident of exchange of fire, at least four army personnel, including an officer of the rank of Captain, succumbed to their injuries sustained during the gunfight with heavily armed terrorists in Dessa forest area of Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night.
Officials said on Tuesday that reinforcements have been rushed to the hilly area to track and neutralize the militants.
This was the third major encounter between the security forces and terrorists in the dense forests of Doda district in the past three weeks.
The incident comes almost a week after terrorists ambushed an Army patrol in the remote Machedi forests area in Kathua district claimed the lives of five soldiers and injured an equal number of jawans.
Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police troops launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in the Dessa forests, over 50 km from Doda town, late on Monday evening when the encounter took place, the officials said.
After a brief exchange of fire, they said, the terrorists tried to escape but were chased by the troops led by an officer despite the challenging terrain and thick foliage leading to another gunfight around 9 pm on Monday.
Five soldiers were critically injured in the encounter. Four of them, including the officer, later succumbed to injuries, the officials said.
The Army’s 16 Corps, in a post on ‘X’, said, “Based on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation by Indian Army and JKP was in progress in the general area North of Doda. Contact with terrorists was established tonight at about 2100 hrs in which heavy firefight ensued.
“Initial reports suggest injuries to our bravehearts. Additional troops have been moved into the area. Operations are continuing,” it said late on Monday evening.
The officials said the Army and police mobilised reinforcements on Monday night itself and launched a fresh search of the Dessa forest area with reinforcements on Tuesday morning.
They said no fresh contact with the terrorists on Tuesday had been established till the reports last came in.
On July 9, terrorists managed to escape after an encounter with security forces in the nearby Ghadi Bhagwah forest bordering Kishtwar district. Three foreign terrorists were killed in a day-long operation in the Gandoh area of the Doda district on June 26.
The anti-insurgency operations in Doda were intensified after a fierce exchange of fire in Chattargalla left five army personnel and a special police officer injured on June 12. A police official was injured in another encounter in Gandoh the next day.
The Jammu region, which remained relatively peaceful between 2005 and 2021 after security forces wiped out decades-long terrorism, witnessed an escalation in terror attacks over the past one month. It included an attack on a pilgrim bus that left nine persons dead and 40 injured.
Terror activities resurfaced in October 2021 from the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Some of the deadly attacks that spread to Reasi, Kathua and Doda were attributed by the security establishment as an attempt by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism in the Jammu province.
Officials reports said that over 70 people, including 52 security personnel – mostly from the Army – have been killed in terror-related incidents in the Jammu region since 2021. Most of the casualties were from Rajouri and Poonch districts where 54 terrorists were also eliminated, the officials added.
They said that three terrorists were also killed in Reasi district and two others in Kathua district.
Rajnath Saddened On Death Of 4 Soldiers In Doda
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said in New Delhi that he is “deeply saddened” by the death of four Army soldiers in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district. He asserted that the security forces were committed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism in the region.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi briefed Singh on the ongoing operation in Doda district.
“Deeply saddened by the loss of our brave and courageous Indian Army Soldiers in a counter terrorist operation in Urrar Baggi, Doda (J&K),” Singh said in his post on X (Formerly Twitter).
“My heart goes out to the bereaved families. The Nation stands firmly with the families of our soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty,” he said.
The Defence Minister said the counter-terrorist operations are underway, and “our soldiers remain committed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and restore peace and order in the region.”
The defence minister’s office said he spoke to Gen Dwivedi this morning.
“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh spoke to CoAs, General Upendra Dwivedi this morning. RM was apprised of the ground situation and the ongoing Counter Terrorist Op in Doda by the Army Chief,” Singh’s office said on X.
J&K L-G Manoj Sinha pays tributes to slain soldiers
J&K Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha on July 16 vowed to avenge the death of the soldiers killed in an encounter with terrorists in Doda district.
In a post on X, Sinha said, “We will avenge the death of our soldiers & thwart the evil designs of terrorists and their associates. I call upon the people to unite in the fight against terrorism & provide us accurate information so that we can intensify anti-terror operations & neutralise the terror ecosystem.” He also paid tributes to slain soldiers.
“I am deeply anguished to learn about the cowardly attack on our Army soldiers and JKP personnel in Doda district. Tributes to brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice protecting our nation. My deepest condolences to members of the bereaved families,” he added.
Mehbooba: Accountability Should Be Fixed
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday sought accountability for the “loss of 50 soldiers in the past 32 months” in terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, saying “heads should have rolled by now”.
Mehbooba’s remarks came after four army personnel, including an officer, died after being injured in a gunfight with terrorists in Doda district on Monday night.
“Unfortunately, there is no accountability. Heads should have rolled by now… the DGP (R R Swain) should have been sacked by now,” Mehbooba told reporters in Srinagar.
“What has happened in Doda yesterday is highly condemnable. We lost our brave soldiers and officers in this attack… there is no accountability,” she said.
“The incumbent DGP is more busy fixing things politically. He is more into how to crush PDP and how to harass the people,” she alleged.
“Almost 50 soldiers lost their lives in past 32 months. Nobody is being held accountable,” she said.
Hitting out at the DGP, she said, “We don’t need a ‘fixer’ here. We need a DGP. We have had DGPs from outside earlier who did a very good job”.
NC Condemns killing of army personnel
The National Conference on Tuesday condemned the killing of security forces personnel in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.
NC President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah have strongly condemned the killing of four Indian Army soldiers, including a Major, and a police officer in an encounter in Doda, the party said in a post on X.
The NC said the party leaders expressed profound sorrow and outrage at the tragic loss of life.
In this difficult time, their heartfelt sympathies are with the bereaved families who have suffered an irreplaceable loss, the NC said.
Cong Slams Govt Over J&K Attacks
The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the Centre after four soldiers were killed in an encounter in Doda, and asked what happened to all those “grand claims” made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was deeply distressed by the martyrdom of the four brave soldiers, including an officer.
“Our heart goes out to the families of our bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of Bharat Mata. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, and we wish him a speedy and complete recovery,” he said.
No words of strong and unequivocal condemnation will suffice for these acts of violence being perpetrated by cowardly terrorists, he said.
“The spate of terror attacks that has gripped Jammu and Kashmir in the past 36 days, needs careful recalibration in our security strategy. The Modi government is acting as if everything is ‘business as usual’ and nothing has changed. They must know that increasingly the Jammu region is bearing the brunt of these attacks,” Kharge said.
“We cannot endanger our national security by indulging in false bravado, fake narratives and high-decibel whitewashing. As a nation, we have to collectively fight the scrouge of cross-border terrorism,” he said.
“The Indian National Congress stands strongly with our valiant Armed Forces,” Kharge said.
In a separate statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there have been 11 terror attacks in the last 78 days in Jammu alone.
“This is a wholly new development. While we must demonstrate an effective collective response cutting across political parties, the question must also be asked: what happened to all those grand claims made by the self-anointed non-biological PM and the self-styled Chanakya?” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of martyrdom of four soldiers, including an army officer, in an encounter with terrorists in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir is extremely saddening.
“My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. We will all remain forever indebted to the brave soldiers and their families who made the supreme sacrifice,” she said.
Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also lashed out at the government over the latest attack and said the country wants answers.
“Countries are not run on just slogans,” Khera said in a post in Hindi on X.
Our soldiers, their families bearing brunt of BJP’s ‘wrong policies’: Rahul Gandhi
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to the martyrs and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
Such horrific incidents one after the other are extremely sad and worrying, he said.
“These continuous terrorist attacks are reflecting the deteriorated condition of Jammu and Kashmir. Our soldiers and their families are bearing the brunt of BJP’s wrong policies,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
“It is the demand of every patriotic Indian that the government should take full responsibility for the repeated security lapses and take strict action against the culprits of the country and the soldiers,” he said.
“In this hour of grief, the entire country stands united against terrorism,” Gandhi said.
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