On tuesday morning, an intense gunfight in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir led to the tragic deaths of an army officer and our four soldiers, who succumbed to injuries sustained in the confrontation with heavily-armed terrorists. This encounter unfolded during a coordinated operation between the Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Operations Group of J&K Police in the dense forests of Desa. Despite the challenging terrain, the courageous troops engaged the terrorists at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in a fierce exchange of fire. When the terrorists attempted to flee, the soldiers pursued, leading to another deadly confrontation later in the evening. Unfortunately, four soldiers, including the officer, did not survive.
Reinforcements were promptly deployed to secure the area, where an estimated 2-3 terrorists were believed to be hiding. The Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group linked to the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement, the terror group detailed that the clash occurred during a security forces’ search operation for ‘Mujahideen.’ The Kashmir Tigers had previously claimed responsibility for the attack on an Army convoy in Kathua on 9th of July.
Meanwhile, J&K Police discovered a cache of old arms and ammunition in a terrorist hideout in the Reasi district. The recovered items included 30 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, one AK-47 magazine, and one HE-36 hand grenade.
Army Chief Briefs Defence Minister on Doda Operation
On Tuesday, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi provided a detailed briefing to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the anti-terror operation in Doda district. The Defence Minister’s office confirmed that Singh received an update from General Dwivedi that morning.
“Defence minister Shri @rajnathsingh spoke to COAS, General Upendra Dwivedi this morning. RM was apprised of the ground situation and the ongoing Counter Terrorist Operation in Doda by the Army Chief,” Singh’s office communicated on X.
Kathua Terror Attack
This encounter in Doda follows a significant incident in the Jammu region, where five soldiers were killed in action in Kathua last week. In this coordinated attack, five soldiers were also injured when terrorists targeted two trucks carrying at least 12 troops.
The terrorists attacked the trucks, which were positioned approximately 500 meters apart, using grenades and armor-piercing bullets, along with an M4 assault rifle.
Terrorist activities, which initially emerged in the Poonch and Rajouri districts, have now spread throughout Jammu, a region that had been free from terrorism until recent years. Over past 32 months, total 48 soldiers have been martyred in action in the Jammu region.