Army toll 5 in Rajouri encounter, 2 terrorists killed

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, November 23

A soldier and two terrorists were killed during the ongoing encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, four army personnel, including two captains, were killed and two others injured in the operation against the terrorists in the Dharmsal belt’s Bajimaal area.

The slain Army personnel have been identified as Captain MV Pranjal from Mangalore, Karnataka, Captain Shubham Gupta from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid from Poonch, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht from Nainital, Uttarakhand and Paratrooper Sachin Laur from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

One of the killed terrorists has been identified as Quari, a Pakistani national who was sent to revive terrorism in Rajouri and Poonch. The identity of the other terrorist is being verified.

As per Army intelligence sources, Quari was highly trained in Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making and also in hiding in natural caves found in abundance in the region of Pir Panjal, including Rajouri and Poonch districts.

“The individual is a Pak national and hardcore terrorist. He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan fronts. He is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba,” said sources in the Army.

They said the terrorist was active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past one year. He is also believed to be the mastermind behind the Dhangri and Kandi attacks in Rajouri this year.

Sources said he was sent to revive terrorism in the region. “He was an expert in IEDs operating, hiding in caves and a trained sniper,” they added.