Army Colonel killed in fierce gun battle with militants near LoC

Srinagar: An Army colonel was killed and two other security personnel were critically injured in a fierce gun battle with militants raging in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara since Monday.

Sources here said that the fighting started in Manigah village of Haihama area close to the LoC in Kupwara district after the soldiers of Army’s 41 rashtriya rifles along with Para commandos moved in to intercept a group of militants believed to be Lashkar-e-Tayyaba cadres. On seeing the troops zeroing in on them, the militants opened gunfire at them.

With that and while taking advantage of darkness, the militants escaped into nearby Behak forest area, the sources said adding that soon reinforcements were rushed in and a fierce encounter was underway in the area since Tuesday morning.

In their indiscriminate firing, two soldiers including the company commander of 41 Rashtriya Rifles identified as Colonel Santosh Mahadik and Majnoon Ahmed of 160 Territorial Army who was attached with 41 Rashtriya Rifles and a policeman of J&K police’s Special Operations Group were critically injured, the sources.

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