Two more soldiers have been martyred in the encounter going on for the last six days in a dense forest on the border of Rajouri-Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir. During the search operation on Saturday, the bodies of two soldiers including a JCO were found. So far 9 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice in this six-day-long encounter, including 2 JCOs.
This encounter started in the Surankote forest of Poonch on Monday, which later spread from Thanamandi in Rajouri to Mendhar in Poonch. The bodies of a JCO and a jawan were found in Nar Khas forest area of Mendhar near the spot where the encounter with terrorists took place on Thursday, officials said. During this, the number of soldiers who lost their lives has now increased to four. Earlier, Riflemen Vikram Singh Negi and Yogmber Singh were confirmed martyred in an encounter with terrorists in Nar Khas forest. Both Negi and Singh were from Uttarakhand.
Earlier on October 11, five Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed when terrorists attacked an army patrol in Poonch's Surankote forest, officials said. On the same day, there was an encounter between the absconding terrorists and the search party of the army in Thanamandi forest of Rajouri.
The entire forest area from Mendhar to Thanamandi has been cordoned off and a massive search operation has been launched to trace the terrorists, officials said. Terrorists are moving from place to place trying to escape the siege. Rajouri-Poonch Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Vivek Gupta had told on Tuesday that the terrorists involved in the attack on security forces in Poonch were present in the area for the last two to three months.
Infiltration attempts have increased in Rajouri and Poonch areas of Jammu region since June this year. Nine terrorists have been killed in separate encounters. Meanwhile, a defense spokesman said that the bodies of Riflemen Negi and Singh were airlifted to Uttarakhand on Saturday morning. The mortal remains of the jawans will be taken to their hometowns by road from the airport and the last rites will be performed with full military honours.
