JK: Army colonel and major, Dy SP killed in gunfight with terrorists in Anantnag

SRINAGAR: An Army Colonel and a Major and a deputy superintendent of police were killed and another security official was critically injured in a gunfight with separatist militants raging in the Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir's southern Anantnag district since Wednesday afternoon.

The police and Army sources said that Colonel Manpreet Singh, Commanding Officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rrifles (12 Sikh Light Infantry) and a resident of Chandigarh and Major Ashish Kumar and DSP Humayun Bhat of the J&K police were injured in the initial exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces in Gadool hemet of Kokernag. They were quickly airlifted to the military hospital here where they succumbed.

The officials said that the gunfight erupted after a joint team of the J&K police, Army and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of militants in the village.

A defence spokesman said,  "Colonel Singh, leading his team from the front, attacked the terrorists. However, the terrorists fired upon him and he was critically injured".

The Kashmir zone police in a post on "X" said, "Encounter has started in #Kokernag area of #Anantnag. Officers from Army and JKP injured. Details shall follow."

The police sources said two to three militants are believed to be trapped in the area.

The bloody clash came close on the heels of a gunfight between the militants and security forces in the Narla area of frontier Rajouri district in which two militants have been killed whereas Rifleman Ravi Kumar of the 63 Rashtriya Rifles, a resident of Wasnoti Trigam village of J&K's eastern Kishtwar district, laid down his life. Three other security personnel including SPO Vishal Singh were injured in the encounter.

The officials said that an Army dog, a six-year-old female Labrador from 21 Army Dog Unit, named Kent, was also killed while saving his handlers during the "effective operation".  End it