5 soldiers killed in fierce gunfight with terrorists in Poonch

Jammu: Five Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), lost their lives in a fierce gunfight with terrorists during an operation in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, officials said.

The operation was launched in a village close to Dera Ki Gali (DKG) in Surankote in the early hours following intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists who had infiltrated from across the Line of Control (LoC).

A Defence spokesman said the ultras opened heavy fire on search parties resulting in critical injuries to the JCO and four other personnel.

All the five soldiers succumbed to their injuries at a nearby military hospital where they were shifted from the scene of the gunfight, he said.

The encounter with the terrorists was going on and further details are awaited, the spokesman said in the evening.

There has been a spurt in terrorist attacks in recent weeks in which several civilians, including a prominent Kashmiri Pandit businessman and a school teacher, were killed.

Meanwhile, two militants were killed and a policeman was injured during encounters in Anantnag and Bandipora districts on Monday, police said.

Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation at Khagund in Anantnag district's Verinag area following information about the presence of militants there, an official said.

The search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated, he said.

The police official said that while one militant has been killed, a policeman suffered injuries.

In another encounter, which broke out at Gundjahangir in Bandipora district's Hajin area, a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was killed.

"Killed terrorist has been identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF). He was involved in recent civilian killing at Shahgund Bandipora," Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar tweeted.