Five Indian soldiers killed in encounter with militants in J&K’s Poonch

Five Indian army soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were killed in an ongoing encounter with militants in Surankote area in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

An Army official said based on intelligence inputs, the Army launched a cordon and search operation in a village close to Dera Ki Gali (DKG) area in Surankote in the border district of Poonch in the morning on Monday.

He said during the operation, an encounter broke out after militants fired on the Army’s search party.

“The fire was returned by troops and in the ensuing firefight, five Army jawans including a JCO were critically injured and evacuated to the military hospital,” the official said.

Sources said all the five soldiers succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

Additional troops have been rushed to the area to assist the securitymen present on the ground in the operation.

Sources said a group of 2-4 militants are present in the area and it is being suspected that they may have infiltrated from across the border.

Source: New Indian Express