Kishtwar Encounter: Indian Army's Naib Subedar Martyred, 3 Soldiers Injured In Gun Battle

Kishtwar: An officer of the Indian Army, on Sunday, laid down his life while fighting with the terrorists during the ongoing Kishtwar encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Indian Army, the Army's Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), identified as Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar, belonged to 02 Para Special Forces. Apart from him, three more soldiers were injured in the gunfight with terrorists in a remote forest area in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar. 

The Indian Army stated that Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar was in action during the encounter in the Kishtwar district with Pakistani Jaish terrorists. JCO Rakesh Kumar reportedly sustained injuries during the initial exchange of firing with the terrorists. 

Kumar was immediately airlifted to shift him to a nearby hospital for treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The operation comes amid an intensified hunt underway since the killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) recently.

The encounter broke out around 11 am when joint search parties of the Army and police intercepted the terrorists in the Keshwan forest, a few kilometres from the spot where the bullet-riddled bodies of VDGs Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were found.

A massive search operation was launched in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan on Thursday evening after the terrorists abducted and killed the VDGs.

The Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X, "Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a joint operation was launched by security forces in general area Bhart Ridge, Kishtwar. This is the same group which had abducted and killed 02 innocent villagers (village defence guards). Contact was established and a firefight ensued." The officials said four Army personnel, including the JCO, were injured in the initial gunfight and evacuated to a hospital, where the condition of three of them was stated to be "critical". The JCO later succumbed to injuries.

"GOC (General Officer Commanding) White knight Corps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of braveheart, Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF). Sub Rakesh was part of a joint CI (counter-insurgency) operation launched in the general area of Bhart Ridge Kishtwar. We stand with the bereaved family in this hour of grief," the Army said in its latest tweet.

Earlier, a police spokesperson also confirmed that an encounter was underway with the terrorists responsible for the killing of the two VDGs.

"Three or four terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area," the official said.

The officials said a massive search operation was going on till the last reports were received.