New Delhi: Four Indian Army personnel, including an officer, who were critically injured in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Monday night, succumbed to their injuries early on Tuesday.
According to ANI, defence officials said the Army personnel were killed in action and the operations were underway till the last report came in. They have been identified as Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra and Sepoy Ajay.
#GeneralUpendraDwivedi #COAS and all ranks of #IndianArmy convey their deepest condolences to the #Bravehearts Captain Brijesh Thapa, Naik D Rajesh, Sepoy Bijendra & Sepoy Ajay, who laid down their lives in the line of duty, while undertaking a counter terrorist operation in… pic.twitter.com/R4dXvD9geZ
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 16, 2024
Acting on intelligence inputs, a joint operation was launched by Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday evening after an exchange of fire in Dessa area of the district. “Op KOTHI – 2. Based on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation by #IndianArmy and JKP was in progress in General area North of #Doda. Contact with terrorists was established tonight at about 2100h in which heavy firefight ensued. Initial reports suggest injuries to our bravehearts. Additional troops have been moved into the area. Operations are continuing,” the Army wrote on X.
Additional troops were called in to tighten the cordon, the report stated.
A video released by the ANI showed that the Army was using a helicopter to carry out a search operation in the forests of Doda. The hunt for the terrorists in on.
Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had seized rusted arms and ammunition, including AK-47 and HE-36 hand grenade from a terrorist hideout in Dalantop area of Shikari in Reasi district.
‘Kashmir Tigers behind the attack’
Posts on X handles purportedly belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad’s (JeM) shadow terror outfit Kashmir Tigers claimed responsibility for the attack. However, officials were yet to confirm such claims. The group had earlier claimed the responsibility for the July 8 ambush attack in Kathua. Five Army personnel were killed in the attack. According to reports, the existence of Kashmir Tigers was first reported in January 2021, following the abrogation of Article 370.
Defence minister speaks to Army Chief, says committed to eliminate terrorism
According to the media reports, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi to take a stock of the ground situation and the ongoing counter terrorist operation in Doda. “Deeply saddened by the loss of our brave and courageous Indian Army Soldiers in a counter terrorist operation in Urrar Baggi, Doda (J&K). My heart goes out to the bereaved families. The Nation stands firmly with the families of our soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The Counter Terrorist operations are underway, and our soldiers remain committed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and restore peace and order in the region,” he wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said the government must take the responsibility for such attacks. The Congress MP paid tribute to the martyred soldiers. “Today, our soldiers were martyred in another terrorist encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. I pay my humble tribute to the martyrs and express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” he posted in Hindi on X. Claiming that frequent attacks on the soldiers in the past few months were extremely worrying, he blamed the ‘wrong policies’ of the BJP-led Union government for such incidents.
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