Jammu and Kashmir: 5 soldiers martyred in Rajouri gunfight

Jammu: The death toll in the ongoing Rajouri encounter swelled to five as three injured soldiers undergoing treatment succumbed at Command Hospital Udhampur on Friday.

Earlier, two soldiers got martyred while four others including an officer suffered injuries in a gunfight on Friday in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Three of injured soldiers succumbed during the treatment," he added.

Army in a statement in the morning said that Indian Army columns have been conducting relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in ambush on an army truck in Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region.

"On specific information about presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3 and this morning at about 0730 hours, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave," he said.

The Army official said that the area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs.

"The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation in which the Army team has suffered two fatal casualties with injuries to four more soldiers including an officer," he said.

He further added that additional teams from the vicinity have been directed to the site of encounter.

As per initial reports, the officer added that a group of terrorists are trapped in the area and there is a likelihood of casualties in terrorists group.

"The operation is in progress and further details are being ascertained," he said.

Meanwhile the mobile internet service in the district has been snapped as preventive measure.

On April 20, five soldiers were martyred when terrorists attack an Army truck in Batadhurian area of Poonch. (UNI)