2 Army men killed in Poonch encounter

Jammu, October 15

Two Army personnel were killed in an encounter with terrorists in Poonch district, officials said on Friday.

“In an ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the Nar Khas forest area of Mendhar sub-division, there was an exchange of fire between Army troops and terrorists on Thursday evening,” a defence public relation officer (PRO) said.

During the exchange of fire, two soldiers were critically injured and later succumbed to their injuries, he said.

Earlier, the PRO had said the body of a junior commissioned officer (JCO) was yet to be recovered. However, he later said the body was identified of that of a jawan and not of the JCO. Efforts are being made to trace the missing JCO, the officials said.

Riflemen Vikram Singh Negi (26) and Yogambar Singh (27) were killed in the encounter. “They displayed exemplary courage, devotion and made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty,” the PRO said.

“The nation will always remain indebted to these bravehearts for their supreme sacrifice,” he said.

Rifleman Negi, was a resident of Viman village in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district, while Rifleman Singh, who also hails from the state, belonged to Chamoli district’s Sankari village. — PTI

Recent killings

Oct 12 Five Army men, including a JCO, killed in Surankote, Poonch

Sept 12 A militant killed in an encounter in the Manjakote area of Rajouri district

Aug 19 A JCO martyred during a gun battle in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri

Aug 6 Two Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists killed in Thanamandi belt. PTI

2 militants behind civilian killings gunned down

Srinagar: Two militants involved in the recent killings of civilians, including minority community members, were gunned down in two separate encounters in Pulwama and Srinagar districts of J&K on Friday, the police said. “Shahid Bashir Sheikh and Tanzil of Srinagar city, who were collaborators in recent killings of a chemist and teachers SupinderKaul and DeepakChand in Srinagar, neutralised today in two anti-terrorists ops,” Vijay Kumar, IGP, Kashmir, tweeted. Another encounter broke out between militants and security forces in the Bemina area of the city on Friday evening, a police spokesman said. The IGP tweeted that the militant involved in the killing of probationary sub-inspector Arshid Ahmad had been killed in the encounter. PTI