Army officer critically injured in Doda encounter, four terrorists believed to be killed

Jammu, Aug 14 (PTI) An Army captain was critically wounded and four terrorists believed to be killed in an ongoing operation in the higher reaches of Jammu region’s Doda district on Wednesday, officials said.

The encounter broke out in a thickly forested area during a cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt, they said. A civilian was also injured in the gunbattle that came a day ahead of Independence Day.

Four blood-soaked rucksacks were recovered from the site. M-4 carbines were also found, the officials said.

The terrorists are holed up near a river in Assar, an official said.

The terrorists crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in adjacent Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists there, they said.

According to officials, security forces established contact with the terrorists around 6 pm in Udhampur on Tuesday. The encounter began about half an hour later and continued intermittently until both sides paused. A cordon was established overnight.

The search was resumed at daylight. At about 7.30 am today, there was a renewed exchange of fire, officials said.