Two militants and a Rashtriya Rifles soldier died in a prolonged gun-battle in the forests of north Kashmir’s Handwara area on Friday afternoon while the operation to track down holed up militants in Manigah area of Tangdhar entered fourth week.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Defence in Srinagar lt. Col NN Joshi said that a joint team of police and Army launched an operation in Boban Watsar forest area of Handwara in north Kashmir on Friday following information about presence of a group of militants there.
He said while the security forces closed in, they drew fire from the militants resulting into death of a soldier and injuries to another. The slain soldier was identified as Naik Satish Kumar belonging to Rashtriya Rifles. In the ensuing gun-battle that continued till last reports came in from the area, two militants were killed.
The identity of militants and their allegiance to was not immediately known.
Joshi said that besides other warlike stores, two AK-series rifles, one UBGl and five radio sets have been recovered in the operation.
The Handwara encounter erupted on a day when a prolonged search operation in Manigah forests of neighbouring Tangdhar area entered fourth week. One of the longest search operations in the north Kashmir region this year, the Manigah operation has so far consumed Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles Col Santosh Mahadik and three lashkar-e-Tayyeba militants while three soldiers including a lieutenant Colonel have been wounded.
Col Mahadik died after receiving a full burst in Manigah forests on November 17 when he was pursuing specific information that militants had descended into a village to fetch eatables.
Five days later on November 22, lt Col Karanbir Singh Natt, the second-in-command of 160 Territorial Army, received a volley of fire in his face when he entered a hut abandoned by nomads to track down a hiding militant. The militant fired indiscriminately injuring lt Col Natt before being shot dead. Sources said that Col Natt’s condition was “serious” at Delhi’s Army Hospital Research and Referral (AHRR) where he was airlifted on the same day.