Another soldier lost his life on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district during the ongoing anti-terrorism operation led by a coalition of the Army, paramilitary forces, and J&K police. With this, India has now seen the loss of five Army personnel in the encounter, while two terrorists associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba are reported to have been neutralised. The conflict erupted on Wednesday when Indian troops launched a search operation in dense forests based on intelligence indicating the presence of at least two terrorists in hiding. Sporadic gunfire persisted at regular intervals, leading to the death of two Army captains and two jawans, with at least two others sustaining injuries.
Through a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Army reported that insurgents sustained injuries during the encounter and were surrounded by Indian forces. The pursuit persisted into the following day, resulting in renewed exchanges of gunfire in the mountainous and forested terrain of the southern Rajouri district, situated near the heavily fortified Line of Control that separates India and Pakistan.
Weapons and ammunition were also discovered at the encounter site. Since 2019, discontent in Kashmir has heightened following the revocation of the state’s semi-autonomous status and the significant curtailment of dissent, civil liberties, and media freedoms amid heightened counter-insurgency operations.
The banned People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an alleged affiliate of Jaish-e-Mohammed that emerged after 2019, claimed responsibility for the operation in a social media statement.