"Jawans Handled Op Professionally": J&K Senior Cop On Rajouri Encounter

Following an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rajouri-Poonch Range, Haseeb Mughal, on Wednesday said that the jawans and officers who were working on the ground in the "toughest terrain" handled the operation very "professionally".

"This is the toughest terrain in district Rajouri. The rains, forests, and fog added to operational difficulties as well but the jawans and officers who were working on the ground handled the operation very professionally," DIG Mughal said while speaking to ANI.

"...The operation was underway for the last three days, It was a joint operation - Indian Army, Jammu Kashmir police and CRPF. Two terrorists were killed. One of our jawans lost his life and four jawans were injured and their treatment is going on...," Haseeb Mughal said.

The DIG said that the police will be investigating whether it is a new group that started the encounter. "You can see the arms and ammunition here and different types of logistics items. We will investigate whether it is a new group or an old one...no local has claimed anything about the attack, so we can say that foreign forces are behind this.," he said.

"This is a great achievement for the forces and this could be a step to restore peace in the area..." the DIG added.

Indian Army's Brigadier Soumeet Patnaik said that the soldiers were redeployed when it became dark and made sure that communication between them was intact so that the terrorists do not escape from the region.

"When it became darker, we redeployed our parties and made sure that they are in communication with one another so that the terrorists cannot escape from the area. We engaged with the terrorists throughout the night so that they do not run away," Soumeet Patnaik said speaking at a press conference.

Speaking about the canine soldier who laid down her life in the encounter, the Brigadier said, "When Kent came very close to the location of the terrorists, they were fired upon. During this operation, Kent lost her life."

On those who were injured in the encounter, he said, "...three soldiers and one SPO were injured. They were evacuated and taken to the hospital safely. One soldier Ravi Kumar passed away due to blood loss following injuries. The injured soldiers are receiving medical treatment and are out of danger."

Two terrorists were killed by security forces during an encounter that began in the Narla area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri on Tuesday.

Security forces have recovered a large quantity of warlike stores, including medicines, with Pakistan markings during a search amid the encounter that continued on Wednesday evening according to officials

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