Army Captain killed during encounter with terrorists in J&K’s Doda

NEW DELHI: An Army Capital from the 48 Rashtriya Rifles succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday during a search operation in the Assar belt of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The encounter broke out in a dense forested area during a cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt, according to officials.
The operation, which resulted in the death of an Army Captain from the 48 Rashtriya Rifles, is still ongoing.
During the gunbattle, security forces recovered four blood-soaked rucksacks and M-4 carbines from the site, indicating a fierce exchange of fire.
“The terrorists are holed up in a riverine in Assar,” an official said.
The terrorists crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in the neighboring Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire with security forces, officials said.
According to reports, security forces first made contact with the terrorists around 6pm on Tuesday in Udhampur. The encounter began approximately half an hour later and continued intermittently before both sides temporarily halted the exchange of fire.
Overnight, security forces established a cordon around the area. The search operation resumed at daylight, leading to a renewed exchange of gunfire at around 7:30am on Wednesday.
In recent months, Jammu has experienced a surge in terror attacks, including a high-profile attack on an army convoy in Kathua and multiple skirmishes in Doda and Udhampur. This escalation in violence has raised concerns about the security situation in the region.
In July, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha that up to July 21 this year, 28 people, including civilians and security personnel, had lost their lives in 11 terror-related incidents and 24 counter-terror operations.