JAMMU: Two more army personnel who were critically injured in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch border district succumbed to fatal injuries, an army official said here on Friday.
The two fresh fatalities have taken the toll of Army personnel since the gun battle first broke out at Chamrer forests of Surankote on October 11, to seven. Two army personnel suffered severe injuries during the gunfight between security forces and the terrorists on Thursday evening and were undergoing medical treatment for their fatal injuries.
As per sources, the encounter broke out along the Line of Control as a group of heavily armed terrorists in Mendhar subdivision opened fire on a search party triggering a fierce gunfight in the general area of Nar Khas Forest.
Sharing details of the encounter, PRO Defence Jammu Lt Col Devender Anand said, “A counter-terrorist operation by the Army is in progress in the area of Nar Khas Forest in Mendhar, District Poonch since the evening of October 14 .”
“During the operation, there was heavy exchange of fire and in the ensuing gunfight Rifleman Vikram Singh Negi and Rifleman Yogambar Singh was critically injured and later succumbed to their injuries.”
“Rifleman Vikram Singh Negi and Rifleman Yogambar Singh displayed exemplary courage, devotion and made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, ” Col Anand added.
“Rifleman Vikram Singh Negi (26) is resident of village Viman Gaon, Post Office Khand, Tehsil Narendra Nagar of district Tehri Garhwal of Uttrakhand while Rifleman Yogambar Singh (27) is resident of village Sankari, Post Office Trishulla, Tehsil Pokhari of District Chamoli in Uttrakhand.”
Col Anand said, “The nation will always remain indebted to these bravehearts for their supreme sacrifice for the nation.”
“The operation is still in progress till the last report came in, PRO Defense Jammu Col Anand added.
Here it needs to be mentioned that on October 12, one JCO and four jawans were killed in an encounter in the Surankote area of the Poonch district.
The encounter initially started in Poonch later stretched to the Rajouri district. However, searches were being carried out to flush out remaining armed terrorists hiding in the woods along the LoC.
Pertinently there have been a number of encounters in Rajouri and Poonch districts this year but troops had succeeded in neutralizing the militants mostly on the LoC or close to the site of infiltration.
In July -August this year, the Army had five terrorists, while three including a JCO attained martyrdom.
On August 19: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was martyred in an encounter while one terrorist also was killed in a fierce gunfight with terrorists in the Kangota of Thanamandi Tehsil of Rajouri district.
On August 6: A joint team of security forces achieved a major achievement by eliminating two terrorists and two reportedly are holed up in a fierce encounter ongoing in Thannamandi of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.
On July 8: Security forces eliminated two terrorists while two jawans i.e. Naib Subedar Sreejith M and Sepoy Maruprolu Jaswanth Reddy attained martyrdom in a fierce gun battle in the forward location along the Line of Control (LoC) of Sunderbani sector in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Watch Poonch Encounter: Two more injured jawans attain martyrdom