Jammu, Sept 13: The number of terrorists killed during the ongoing three-day search operation in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district has risen to three after a second terrorist was killed in an encounter with security personnel on Wednesday, according to officials. Tuesday’s clash in the isolated Narla area resulted in the death of a suspected Pakistani terrorist. Three security personnel were hurt in the gunfight, along with an Army soldier and Kent, a six-year-old female Labrador from the Army’s dog squad. Another terrorist was slain in the encounter on Wednesday, according to Mukesh Singh, Additional Director General of Police (Jammu Zone).Despite the severe weather, security officers established a firm cordon around the region, which is 75 miles from Rajouri town, all night. The next morning, they expanded their search to include adjacent locations, according to officials. The villagers sought permanent security posts after hearing reports of intermittent firing during the night. After spotting two people moving suspiciously on Monday, the security officers conducted a cordon and search operation in the wooded Patrada region and fired a few shots, according to the officials.However, both suspects were able to escape because of the night and the thick woodland. The search teams were able to locate a rucksack, some clothing, and other stuff that they left behind. At the Army post in Rajouri early on Wednesday, a wreath-laying ceremony was held in honour of Ravi Kumar, a deceased rifleman from the Kishtwar district. Along with Deputy Commissioner (Rajouri) Vikas Kundal, senior Army officers and other ranks laid wreaths on Kumar’s coffin. He is having last rituals with full military honours in his hometown while his remains are being flown there.In keeping with the greatest traditions of the Indian Army, “White Knight Corps salutes the supreme sacrifice of Rifleman Ravi during ‘Op Sujaligala’. His unshakable commitment to and duty for our country will never be forgotten, according to a post on X by the Kammu-based XVI Corps. A defence spokeswoman claimed that during the gunfight on Tuesday, a courageous Army dog lost her life trying to save her handler.“Kent, the Army dog, led the charge in Operation Sujaligala. On the hunt for the evading terrorists, Kent was in charge of a column of soldiers. Under fierce enemy fire, she was forced to fall. She sacrificed her life in the best Indian Army traditions while protecting her handler, the spokesman said. In the nearby village of Gali Sohab, in the Chassana region of the Reasi district, on September 4, a terrorist was killed and two security men were hurt. This year, there have been multiple skirmishes between the bordering districts of Rajouri and Poonch, which have resulted in the deaths of roughly 26 militants and 10 security officers. According to the government, the majority of the terrorists were killed while attempting to cross the border into this side.
