Srinagar: An army officer and four other soldiers were killed during an encounter between security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Monday, officials said.
An anti-insurgency operation was launched in a village close to Dera Ki Gali in Surankote in the early hours following intelligence inputs about the presence of heavily-armed militants there, they said.
The hiding militants fired on the search parties resulting in a fierce gunfight and critical injuries to a Junior Commissioned Officer or JCO and four other soldiers. They died from their injuries.
The encounter with the militants was going on and further details are awaited.
Officials said there were reports about the presence of a group of heavily-armed militants in the Chamrer forest, after they managed to sneak from across the Line of Control (LoC).
Further details are awaited.