A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army's special forces was killed in action on Sunday during a gunbattle with terrorists in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir. Three other soldiers sustained injuries in the clash. The deceased soldier has been identified as Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar, who was part of a counter-insurgency operation in the region.
In a heartfelt tribute, the Indian Army's White Knight Corps saluted the sacrifice of Naib Subedar Kumar. A statement on X (formerly Twitter) read, "GOC White Knight Corps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of braveheart, Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF)." The Army also expressed solidarity with the bereaved family during this difficult time.
Counter-Insurgency Operation
The encounter erupted earlier in the day when joint search teams from the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted a group of terrorists. This occurred a few kilometers from where the bullet-riddled bodies of two village defence guards, Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar, were discovered. The two guards had been abducted and killed by the terrorists earlier in the week.
Search Operation for Terrorists
Following the tragic deaths of the village defence guards, a large-scale search operation was initiated in the Kuntwara and Keshwan forests. The operation was launched based on specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area. The Army's White Knight Corps confirmed the encounter with the terrorist group, which was responsible for the abduction and killing of the two villagers.
According to the postmortem report, the two village defence guards were executed with gunshots to the head from behind, while blindfolded and with their hands tied. The terrorists used a pistol to kill the unarmed guards, who had been in the forest to graze their cattle when they were attacked.
Naib Subedar Kumar had recently lost his father, Amar Chand, just over a week ago. This was his first trip to the forest area following the tragedy, as his friend Ahmad had been helping care for his livestock during the mourning period.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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